Customer Reviews:
Excellent Book!.......2006-09-03
This book has now been split into two volumes and all Reed's books are only available through his website. This book is heads and tails above most other real estate books. This is probably the most comprehensive and yet concise book on various ways to buy real estate cheap. While a couple of the examples are dated all of the strategies in the book should work except maybe for doing tenancy in common conversions of apartments in rent-controlled areas.
John T. Reed knows what he is talking about and he frankly discusses the risks and benefits of each strategy as well as the number of opportunities to use each strategy and the success rate of each strategy.
Rather than mindlessly following conventional wisdom and believing that real estate only goes up, read this book to find ways to get real estate cheap. If you buy 20% or more below market value it is very easy to make a satisfactory profit.
Good ideas, but very outdated.......2006-08-04
Great topic, but the book was outdated. Most of the information cited in the book were for events that took place in the 1980's! That is 20 years ago! A couple of examples that he mentions took place in the early - mid 90's. Nothing recent.
The material contains good comments and ideas, but don't kid yourself to think that this book contains up-to-date examples. Save the money and buy this book used (yes it is available plenty of places online used, even though the author denies it).
Surprisingly good.......2004-08-14
I found this book to be a refreshingly straightforward treatment of the subject. Mr. Reed thoroughly examines a couple of dozen approaches to buying real estate (and a couple of money-making programs not directly related to real estate), including an analysis of ethical and legal considerations.
Getting a really good deal on *anything*, not just real estate, involves either or both of the following factors:
1) Finding something nobody else knows is for sale (there are people out there who are incredibly poor at marketing), and/or
2) Finding something nobody else wants (for a reason that can be remedied for a cost that still leaves you adequate profit).
That's the whole philosophy. Mr. Reed supplies many case studies and analyses showing how to find and evaluate those two factors.
You should be aware that the author of this book currently refuses to deal with any other bookseller, and will sell only through his own website. IOW, you won't be able to get this book from Amazon. I read the copy I obtained from interlibrary loan.
Average customer rating:
- Entertaining
- exciting read
- FAR FETCHED AND FUN!
- Way out wacky lust festival
- Highly recommended!
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Code Name: Blondie
Christina Skye
Manufacturer: HQN Books
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
 Skye, Christina
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Code Name: Baby
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Code Name: Princess
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Code Name: Nanny
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Code Name: Bikini (Code Name)
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Going Overboard
ASIN: 0373771231 |
Book Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of Code Name: Nanny and Code Name: Princess comes the hottest adventure yet!
Miki is living every woman's fantasy -- stranded on a desert island with a rugged navy SEAL. But little does Miki know she's a suspect in an international high-tech robbery, and her steely-eyed companion is ready, willing and able to do anything to make her talk.
Navy SEAL Max Preston doesn't buy one word of his gorgeous captive's rambling story as he carries her up the beach. Yeah, she's got curves in all the right places, but Max has a nose for a con -- and there's no way he'll let his iron control waver.
Now a hurricane's headed their way, and for Max and Miki time is running out fast. Can they team up as friendly forces -- and use Max's amazing canine companion to escape before a deadly villain takes his twisted revenge?
Customer Reviews:
Entertaining.......2007-07-31
The kinds of stories that I love are ones that involve a strong, intelligent, very real woman. And I found that Miki fit the bill. She's a little uncertain, she's fierce, smart and she's just one of those good, spirited women who despite difficult obstacles rises to the occassion. I also enjoyed Max, who's intense, secretive, and cynical. He's a challenge, and I love challenges! Truman (I'm a sucker for dogs, labs especially!) was a wonderful addition to the story. The element of suspense combined with the action made the book a fairly well-paced read.
Given the amount of things going on in the story, the book (despite it's rather thick size) lacks depth. I would have liked there to have been a stronger emphasis on Miki and Max's development and relationship. At the end, when they declared their feelings, it seemed a bit, well, shallow. I think that's because the development and deepening of the relationship/bond didn't come through as clearly amidst all that was going on. It was really a letdown. It didn't feel complete or satisfying. I heard from a friend that "Baby" ended much the same way...and given what cursory attention was given about Wolfe and Kit in "Blondie"....I'm not completely hopeful that the next book will be much different.
Still, because of the lack of happy endings, I'm determined to read the next one and all the ones related to it in the hopes of getting a happy, satisfying ending...but for me, this book wasn't so great that I now want to read every book the author has written.
exciting read.......2006-11-03
This book the last in a series by Christina Skye, left you wanting more. Full of excitement, mystery and intrigue
FAR FETCHED AND FUN!.......2006-07-15
We have a book pool at the office and I took this home for a lark. What a fun book. Nothing too heavy. It was corny and wouldnt we all love to have a guy as "enhanced" as Max. Miki was cute and perky but it was Truman the wonder Lab that stole my heart. I love Labs.
It was a very imaginative storyline. Wonder if our government is truly working on all the military enhancements. Now, I am in a quandry about Cruz. He's hateful right now but how did he get that way? and I think Ms. Skye left a doubt open for her next installment. I think, for now, I will look thru our office treasures for the 'Baby' installment. Sensuality is an 8.
Way out wacky lust festival.......2006-07-14
Miki, a free-spirited landscape photographer, having lived the life of irresponsibility, decides to buckle down and do some real work, when a twist of fate sends her plane crashing into the ocean. Her rescuer, Max Preston, is a bio-engineered super-soldier (and a hunk).
The romantic conflict comes from the fact that Max doesn't trust Miki and won't tell anything about what he's doing there. He basically makes her his prisoner, and she keeps trying to escape. Complete with superheroes, super-villains, a super-dog with powers like the lady of Avalon, and light-hearted energetic sex, the story would seem to have definite potential to entertain its readers.
Yet while I generally like an escape from reality, some things were rather too far-fetched, as the narrator tried to chalk one magical ability after another to super-secret scientific advancements. The romance was on the far side of unbelievable, and very shallow, happening as it did between two shallow and stereotypical characters.
At least the book managed to be entertaining at times, but I personally couldn't relate to either of the romantic leads. If this is the sort of story you like however, I recommend you look at Deidre Knight's book "Parallel Attraction" - similar characters, but much more satisfying.
Highly recommended!.......2006-07-04
Miki Fortune has finally grown up and is ready to devote herself to a career in photography a passion since childhood. Although rather clumsy she is extremely independent and very stubborn. This ball of fire is not the kind of woman to just sit back and be pushed around at the hands of someone as senseless and tasteless as Vance Merchant. As driven as she is to succeed at her current beach calendar assignment she remains smart and tough enough to not allow herself to be blackmailed by this greedy, weasel of a man. But no matter how many wrong ways this man rubs her she still does not wish him any harm as the old Cessna he rented takes a turn for the worst and they plummet helplessly to sea. Luckily for Miki, Max Preston, one hot Navy Seal and his wonder dog partner Truman happen to be involved in a secret government project that lead them to the same mysterious island. The highly skilled duo must locate and detain Cruz, a top Navy Seal leader gone bad with killer intentions. Or is that just what Max and his team are led to believe while the government covers up what they have really been up to? And talk about traitors...is Dutch the Cessna's pilot really injured and just another innocent victim stranded on the island or is he only playing possum until he gets a chance to jump the gun and betray Miki? Find out for yourself whether or not the relationship between Max and Miki turns hot and steamy or if they remain hostile and untrusting. Will the unwelcome feelings of desire he is overwhelmed with cloud his judgement therefore risking the whole operation and putting all their lives at jeopardy or does he manage to pull through and save the day with the help of Truman and his extraordinary human qualities? It was a very cute touch when one of the authors characters kept referring to another as "honey" however simultaneous characters used the same line throughout the story when they should have developed their own personal traits. Other than this it was action packed and captivated my complete attention up to the very end and still definitely worth reading! I look forward to reading more of Christina Skye's adventures and give this book two thumbs up!
Book Description
This stunning visual memoir portrays a unique period in music and fashion. Shot by Roberta Bayley, one of the New York punk scene’s most prominent photographers, the photographs chronicle the band from its earliest days, performing before hard-to-please crowds at Max’s Kansas City and CBGB’s, to global superstardom at the end of the 1970s. At every stage, Bayley was present to record Blondie’s swift, dramatic rise to the top. Featuring 235 candid photographs, many previously unpublished, Blondie Unseen 1976-1980 offers a fly-on-the-wall visual perspective of life with the band during these tumultuous years. Bayley’s talent for being in the right place at the right time ensures that her photographs capture the truth of the moment in a dramatic and revealing manner. The images, enhanced and complemented by Bayley’s own first-hand descriptions, provide an inimitable evocation of one of pop culture’s most creative and exciting periods.
Customer Reviews:
Sexy, stylish, stunningly beautiful... that's DEBORAH HARRY........2007-06-28
ATTENTION...all you Debbie/Blondie fans out there. This is one book not to miss. A must have. I own countless books on Debbie & Blondie, and this is by far the best book where photographs of Debbie and the band are concerned. Beautiful black & white and color photos abound. The shots taken for the Parallel Lines album are unbelievable. What a gorgeous woman! Talent,style,beauty...Debbie in her prime had it all. There's a great full page photo of Debbie & the band taken on a street corner in N.Y.C. in B&W that just has that great New York City summertime Rock & Roll feel to it. Again this book is loaded with great photos at different shows, on the road, backstage, etc...And the price of the book is a BARGAIN! I can't believe this book was'nt double the price.
Blondie Up Close and Personal!.......2007-03-30
Roberta Bayley's images of Blondie rank up with the best. Her pictures from the "Heart of Glass" video shoot are certainly some of the most iconographic shots of Debbie ever taken. The band gave Roberta carte blanche to shoot both onstage & behind the scenes, and that she did from 1976 to 1979. Lucky for us, since these were the band's most interesting years as a cohesive, artistic unit, and also when Debbie was at her most stunning-looking. Much is revealed about the relationships at work within the band during their meteoric rise to the top. The pictures tell most of the story; but Roberta's brief-but-insightful text guides the reader artfully to their own conclusions by describing the time & place without over-interpretting it for us. The earliest shots show a gaggle of punky twenty-something kids with a gawky and girlish frontwoman, still in her thrift-shop threads and suspended in a state of seemingly perpetual adolescence. In a three-year span, we see the band get slicker and Debbie more mature in her visual presentation, but it all seems to get less and less fun for our heroes as they go along. Thankfully, Roberta knows when to leave a party--her chronicle ends in 1980 when the band was at its commercial (if not artistic) peak--so we get to vicariously experience Blondie's thrilling ascent to fame without having to witness their sad demise. A must for every fan.
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Blondie's Cookbook
Chic Young
Manufacturer: Gramercy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0517185415
Release Date: 1996-08-28 |
Amazon.com
This book is a real gem. Originally released in 1947--way, way before Blondie started her own catering business--Blondie's Cook Book is back in print. It contains a whopping 277 recipes, all of which, the book claims, are "not only easy to fix, but easy on the wallet." Who hasn't tried their hand at making a Dagwood sandwich? I know I have. Now find out his secrets. It includes revised illustrations by Dean Young.
Book Description
By 1970, the hippie dream of the 60s was dead — the soundtrack of the revolution had become a multimillion-dollar industry. Glitter tried to save music's soul, but was too commercial to be cutting edge for long. Then, in 1974, a rescue movement arrived.
Three chords, black jeans, a pair of shades, and a whole lot of attitude made music that matched the facts of life on its home ground, mid-70sNew York City's East Village. The initiators of punk, Richard Hell, Tom Verlaine, and Patti Smith had one foot in nineteenth-century French symbolist poetry and the other in the raw sound of their predecessors such as the Velvet Underground. This first-hand account of a little-documented era features luminaries such as Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Debbie Harry, Divine, Devo, and the New York Dolls, and tells of the gigs at CBGB hitting the news as Warhol and his glittering crew descended. What began as a unique blend of fin-de-siècle ennui and razor-sharp rock became anarchic frenzy and safety pins, overrun by gutter decadence and stupid-chic. With Malcolm McLaren hijacking the scene's momentum, the Blank Generation plunged into excess and eventual ruin, its survivors making the leap into mainstream.
Customer Reviews:
New York Rocker Not So Rockin'.......2007-08-04
Actually I'd probably give it 2 and a half stars. I did finish it. But inbetween I read a true crime murder story. I found the style of writing a bit elementary and hard follow. Especially the first 2 years with Blondie. Lots of blank spaces in this book, so maybe it really does live up to the title.
Surprisingly a great read if you're interested in punk.......2007-07-17
Extremely readable memoir of Mr Valentine when he arrives to NYC as a young teenager. What's makes the book a worthy read is that he has a knack for offering interesting details about what it was like being part of the music scene in NYC in the late 70's. Even when he wasnt in a band he was a active "fan" and part of the scene. The book is well-edited and it moves along at a nice pace. As some of the other reviewers point out, the writer isnt particularly nasty in his opinions but he also doest shrink from saying what he feels about other folks he knew at that time. There was prodigious drug use going on around him and it was eye-opening for me that so many rockers where sticking needles in their arms in those days. If you like NYC Punk, this is quite an intersting and informative read.
The X Offender returns!.......2002-10-08
I've been a fan of the band Blondie for quite some time and I read everything I can get my hands on about this band. Gary Valentine's book is by far the best look at Blondie's early years. It's a witty, funny, insightful view of the New York rock scene of the 1970's. Since Gary was a member of Blondie during their early days he has all the stories you could hope for about life with the band when they were just beginning and he lends insight into the creativity that went into the writing of his two most notable Blondie contributions - X Offender and Presence, Dear. Just about everyone you'd be interested in from this time period makes some sort of appearance in this book - Johnny Thunders, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Richard Hell, Captain Sensible, Tom Verlaine, etc. I will read this one over and over again. Gary takes a good long look at what differentiated the New York, London and LA punk scenes and it's one fun and fascinating read. If you are a fan of Blondie or the 70's glam or punk scene or the early 80's new wave scene then you must get this one!
The REAL Blondie Story.......2002-09-14
The problem with all the Blondie books up til now has been that each one was written with too distinct a bias. Lester Bangs's 1980 "Blondie" was a venemous attack that barely concealed Lester's own jealous envy (he was in a band of his own), the Fred Schruers mini bio "Headliners: Blondie" while more objective, was too short to provide a comprehensive biography of the band,1982's "Making Tracks" is a great book but was written by Debbie Harry & Chris Stein themselves, and therefore only tells half a story. Cathay Che's Debbie Harry bio "Platinum Blonde" along with the more recent "Blondie From Punk to Present" are more like fan love-letters than biographies.
That leaves us with Mr. Valentine, who played bass for only two years, 1975-1977. These were, however, the pivotal years of the band's inception and early development, and therefore are the most interesting and crucial to read about. His accounts of living and playing with Debbie and Chris are niether spiteful nor ingratiating, and provide what might be the first objective insights on what being in Blondie was really like. Nobody comes off worse for wear, even though many eccentricities, insensitivites and downright hypocrasies are revealed. Rather, it makes them more interesting and human than ever.
In any summary of a life or career, it's fair to say that nobody owns the truth. There are many subjective truths. But Gary's literary voice rings true, you get the feeling he's being honest in his accounts. He's neither trying to turn you against the Blondies (like Lester) nor kissing their collective ass (like Ms Che). He's just telling it like it was from his persepctive, and the result is a fascinating account of the whole scene.
The pix are quite good, mostly rare, and capture a Blondie that most folks probably don't even remember. A must have for any fan of Blondie and/or the NYC punk era.
New York Rocker Rocks!.......2002-08-16
Complete FUN from start to finish. Valentine kicks off his rock and roll autobiography by dropping the reader off in his late teens when he discovered a bohemian lifestyle in the glitter days of The New York Dolls, and the fact that he was young and innocent at the time makes his adventures quite amusing. Although he was more of a bookworm than a musician, he soon found himself playing bass in a struggling bar band called Blondie. There are tons of great stories regarding the famous punk hangouts CBGB's, Max's Kansas City, and later Hurrah, as well as a plethora of anecdotes regarding peers, friends, and enemies, who have since become punk rock royalty; Patti Smith, Tom Verlaine, Richard Hell, The Ramones, Suicide, Talking Heads, The Germs, Wayne County, etc., Valentine's insight is told as a very keen observer to the freakish lifestyle of the entire scene and he constantly adds touches of winking humor that makes the book more and more enjoyable with the turn of every page.
His tenure with Blondie is the center of the book, as this is where he found fame but not fortune. As a roommate to the first couple of New Wave, Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, he enjoyed a strange friendship with them while at the same time being accused of trying to upstage them. Although it may somtimes appear that he is tossing sour grapes at them, he is really just giving his point of view of certain situations. Many of the Blondie stories have been told before, but a different point of view is always refreshing. Valentine never rakes the band over the coals, despite being jilted from their reunion during the late 90's.
The book does not just cover the New York punk scene, but extends to the West Coast as well when Valentine leaves Blondie and forms The Know. For anyone who thought he dropped off the musical radar after Blondie, his adventures continued, proving that he was no Pete Best (the lost Beatle). He wraps up the book with a sex and substance drenched tour with Iggy Pop and his involvement in the early stages of the Blondie reunion in 1996. From start to finish, NEW YORK ROCKER is an incredibly well written account of the punk movement and a very welcome addition to the growing library of books on the topic.
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Blondie & Dagwood's America
Chic Young
Manufacturer: Harper & Row
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0060909080 |
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The Best of Maledicta
Manufacturer: Running Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0894714996 |
Customer Reviews:
vulgar & fascinating.......2007-02-01
A journal about bad language sounds like an exercise for teenage boys, at first, but this book proves otherwise. It's all about profanity in English and other languages, and it's fascinating stuff -- an interesting mirror on human nature. It makes the language come alive.
Maledicta, "the journal of verbal aggression", is a small journal edited by Reinhold Aman. You can read about Maledicta and Aman via google and Wikipedia. If you've ever wondered why our curses are phrased the way they are, read this book.
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The Best of Maledicta
Manufacturer: Running Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
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ASIN: 0089474996 |
Books:
- If I take the wings of the morning--
- Jacques Legardeur De Saint-Pierre: Officer, Gentleman, Entrepreneur
- Jungle Snafus ... and Remedies
- Just Shut Your Mouth & Do What You're Told : Surviving In The Army
- Letters to Mom from Your Air Force Pilot
- Looking for a Hero: Staff Sergeant Joe Ronnie Hooper and the Vietnam War
- Mama Was My Teacher: Growing Up In A Small Southern Town
- Many Unhappy Returns: One Man's Quest To Turn Around The Most Unpopular Organization In America (Leadership for the Common Good)
- Marshfield Dreams: When I Was a Kid
- Matt Urban: America's Most Decorated Soldier in World War II
Books Index
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How to Get Started in Real Estate Investment (Practical, Ethical , real world advice for beginning investors, Special Report #4)
The Pre-Foreclosure Property Investor's Kit: How to Make Money Buying Distressed Real Estate -- Before the Public Auction
