Nightmares and Dreamscapes

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Many people who write about horror literature maintain that mood is its most important element. Stephen King disagrees: "My deeply held conviction is that story must be paramount.... All other considerations are secondary--theme, mood, even characterization and language."

These fine stories, each written in what King calls "a burst of faith, happiness, and optimism," prove his point. The theme, mood, characters, and language vary, but throughout, a sense of story reigns supreme. Nightmares & Dreamscapes contains 20 short tales--including several never before published--plus one teleplay, one poem, and one nonfiction piece about kids and baseball that appeared in the New Yorker. The subjects include vampires, zombies, an evil toy, man-eating frogs, the burial of a Cadillac, a disembodied finger, and a wicked stepfather. The style ranges from King's well-honed horror to a Ray Bradbury-like fantasy voice to an ambitious pastiche of Raymond Chandler and Ross MacDonald. And like a compact disc with a bonus track, the book ends with a charming little tale not listed in the table of contents--a parable called "The Beggar and the Diamond." --Fiona Webster

Book Description

Wonderful...an illusionist extraordinaire, King peoples his fiction with believable characters. (Publishers Weekly)

Twenty superlative stories that take King's millions of fans where they never dreamed of going before. Included, too, are a telescript that made home screen history, a startling poem, and an essay that Stephen King regards as his best nonfiction writing.

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful Collection of King's Short Stories!.......2007-09-16

King is a master writer, and I enjoyed this collection. I loved "Umney's Last Case" (evocative of 1930s crime fiction). Also liked the "House on Maple Street" (it kept me turning the pages).

The book is worth it for the introductory essay by Steven King. Here are some of the great lines from that essay:

"When I was a kid I believed everything I was told, everything I read, and every dispatch sent out by my own overheated imagination. This made for more than a few sleepless nights, but it also filled the world I lived in with colors and textures I would not have traded for a lifetime of restful nights. I knew even then, you see, that there were people in the world--too many of them, actually--whose imaginative senses were eight numb or completely deadened, and who lived in a mental state skin to colorblindness."

Robert McCammon said something similar his brilliant coming-of-age novel, "Boy's Life"

"See, this is my opinion: we all start out knowing magic. We are born with whirlwinds, forest fires, and comets inside us. We are born able to sing to birds and read the clouds and see our destiny in grains of sand. But then we get the magic educated right out of our souls. We get it churched out, spanked out, washed out, and combed out. We get put on the straight and narrow and told to be responsible. Told to act our age. Told to grow up, for God's sake. And you know why we were told that? Because the people doing the telling were afraid of our wildness and youth, and because the magic they knew made them ashamed and sad of what they'd allowed to wither in themselves."

Outstanding Recording.......2007-07-03

I love taking long drives, and when I take those long drives, I love listening to audiobooks. Let me set the stage: when I listened to Nightmares and Dreamscapes, I was on my way to 29 Palms from Texas, all by myself, via back roads. Dark, unlit, deserted back roads. Somewhat unwisely, I popped this tape in around 8pm, somewhere in New Mexico, just as the sun was starting to set and make everything shadowy. Needless to say, the stories were a bit scarier than they would have been had I read them safely in my own, well-lit house with the alarm system at the ready. I credit (blame!) the actors for this, for they were outstanding! For example:

Crouch End: read by Tim Curry, quite possibly the scariest man in existence. I was familiar with the Cthulu myth, but to hear it through the imagination of Stephen King and the excellent, creepy and threatening Mr. Curry was terrifying.

Rainy Season: the very idea of maniacal toads raining from the sky is absurd, and the voice of Lisa Simpson doesn't seem scary at all. But put the two together on a dark, deserted road and you have a recipe for real fear.

The rest of this volume of stories is very good, if thought-provoking rather than terrifying. Vengeance lovers, rejoice! Dolan's Cadillac is a must-read (listen), as is The House on Maple Street.

Great Collection of Stories.......2007-06-26

Another excellent example of Stephen King's work. His short stories are as suprising and well done as his longer novels. From man eating amphibians to killer toys to finger tapping, King's imagination seems to open up. My two personal favorites are Chattery Teeth and Rainy Season but none were a disappointment. An easy and definite read for all the Stephen King lovers.

THE NIGHT FLIER.......2006-11-04

IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY STORIES IN KING'S CLASSIC SHORT-STORIES AND NOVELLA'S. THIS BOOK SHOWS HIS MANY TALENTS AND MAKES YOU THINK, "WHERE DOES HE GET ALL THIS SUFF?" NIGHT FLIER WAS MY FAVORITE BECAUSE I LOVE VAMPIRE STORIES AND THIS ONE IS A GEM. NOT LIKE THE MOVIE WITH JOSE FERRAR, BUT MORE HORRIFYING WHEN YOU READ IT. I HOPE KING COMES BACK WITH ANOTHER GREAT VAMPIRE NOVEL LIKE "SALEM'S LOT" (MY ALL TIME FAVORITE. ANOTHER GREAT READ IS "DOLAN'S CADILLAC", IT'S HUMOROUS AND CLEVERLY DONE.

A Solid 4 Star For This SK Novella Compilation.......2006-07-21

Within the past three decades, Stephen King has ruled the literary world with his exquisite, passionate, colossal novels; easily read by the young and old alike. It's difficult to even run across the casual, "weekend reader" that hasn't at least thumbed through one of his books. One would think after conjuring up thirty-plus novels, two nonfiction books, a countless number of telescripts, and even composing six novels under his infamous "Bachman" pseudonym, that King would have the time to draft, revise, and publish seven novella collections over the years. The Nightmare and Dreamscapes compilation nestles itself into the middle of the pack in chronological terms as well as substance. The beauty (and the beast) of novella collections such as this, is the certainty that most readers will love some stories and despise others. It's all a matter of subjective taste of course, and having to face the reality that you (the reader) will have to painfully sludge through the mud to get to the gold.
Without becoming long winded, Nightmares and Dreamscapes represents some of the best non-horror work I've ever read from Stephen King. "Umney's Last Case" and "Head Down" are my personal earmarked selections of noteworthy enjoyment. "Crouch End" turned out to be quiet nice, as well as "The End of the Whole Mess", "The Night Flyer", and "Suffer the Little Children". The remaining stories are humdrum at best but most are worthy of one read through.
Nightmares and Dreamscapes is a must read for any Steve King fan, however casual fans who may not care much for the horror genre should find a certain level of delight as well.

Average customer rating:

Dream on
Dreamscapes Review
Dreamscapes
Dreamscapes - Exploring Photo Montages
Dreamscapes

Dreamscapes
Andre Gallant
Manufacturer: Andre Gallant
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Photographing Creative Landscapes: Simple Tools for Artistic Images and Enhanced Creativity

ASIN: 0973471409

Book Description

Dreamscapes are passionate, powerful, evocative images derived from fantasy and created by superimposing two photographs. In Dreamscapes, award-winning photographer Andre Gallant teaches the techniques behind creating these fantastic images, and celebrates the art with eight stunning photo essays.

There are four types of dreamscape: composite dreamscapes are a combination of two unrelated images; mirror dreampscapes are made by flipping a copy of an image and superimposing it on the original; surreal dreamscapes combine an in-focus image with an out-of-focus image of the same scene; and cross dreamscapes combine a vertical image with a horizontal one to produce a square image. Each of these combinations produces unexpected and often incredibly moving results.

In clear, easy-to-understand language, Gallant explains how to create each type of dreamscape, either using slides or working on-screen, and gives tips on the exposure settings you'll need when shooting photographs for dreamscapes. The sample montages in each chapter demonstrate how the techniques work, to help you begin your own explorations.

Far from just a technical manual, this inspirational, one-of-a-kind book deserves pride of place in every art lover's home.

Customer Reviews:

Dream on.......2007-05-31

Have you seen a countless number of photos ? Are you a little bored about the typical landscapes, close ups, portraits, nature, sport images ? Are you looking for a new dimension to express yourself by photo images ? Yes ? Then this book will be the right one for you ! This is not a book to show you the latest manipulation technics with your digital equipment. This book beams you in a new dimension how to change your photos into "art". Andre Gallant shows 4 different ways to create "dreamscapes". Combining of unrelated images, inverting an image, in and out focus technics, vertical and horizontal combinations. There are a lot of examples for each of these technics and the results are amazing. I'am sure this book will start a creative prozess in your mind no matter if you are a digital or analog photographer.

Dreamscapes Review.......2006-02-23

I have been wanting to try Andre Gallant's method of creating "dreamy" photographs. His book clearly demonstrates how he does it...and I have tried it with good results. I just need more practice!

Dreamscapes.......2006-01-30

Although the photos are done the old-fashioned way (i.e. montages of film slides and non digital in their creation); they are incredibly beautiful and imaginative. The Book is a gift to my partner who is a photographer.
**Rick Finney**

Dreamscapes - Exploring Photo Montages.......2005-09-20

I am sure this book will become a well used and treasured favorite! Not only for the sheer joy of simply browsing its pages, but also as an instruction manuel for working out new skills and techniques in expanding my own phtographic efforts. Or as André so aptly put it, "fulfilling my need for deeper expression through photography".

I had the priviledge of meeting and studying with André at a Freeman Patterson workshop several years ago. I listened carefully and took copious notes, but they pale beside the simple and direct way the information is presented in "Dreamscapes". Any photographer desiring to reach beyond the factual representation of subjects would be well advised to add this volumne to their library.

PS - Keep your copy in plain view on the coffee table. Your non-photograhy friends will enjoy it for the simple beauty of André's work.

Dreamscapes.......2005-09-07

Andre's photo montages are fantastic . This book gives some basic tips on how to create your own. It will definetly get your creative juices flowing. Also looks great on anyones coffee table.

Hawaii Dreamscapes Revealed - Big Island

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Lack of text
Review: Hawaii Dreamscapes Revealed - Big Island
A Stunning Tour into Paradise and Beyond
"The stuff that dreams are made of..."

Hawaii Dreamscapes Revealed - Big Island
Andrew Doughty
Manufacturer: Wizard Publications Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Pictorial | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

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Hawaii (America Series)

ASIN: 0971727961

Product Description

Hawaii is a land of dreams and nowhere is this more beautifully evoked than in Hawaii Dreamscapes Revealed - Big Island. This collection of extraordinary photographs showcases a land of unmatched beauty and diversity. Every page captures the magic of Hawaii, from the magnificent snow-covered peaks of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa to colorful ocean reefs. Wind your way from the vast pasturelands of the largest cattle ranch in the nation to the graceful waterfalls of the windward coast. Soar above ethereal, fern-covered valleys. Delve into the mossy world of a tropical jungle. Four-wheel drive to foggy elevations over two miles high. Wander along the luscious sand beaches. Get close enough to flowing lava to feel the searing heat. Journey with the photographers as thier artistry takes you to places far off the beaten path. Venture into their dreams in Hawaii Dreamscapes Revealed - Big Island.

Customer Reviews:

Lack of text.......2007-04-16

Beautiful pictures but I would have enjoyed more text describing what I was seeing.

Review: Hawaii Dreamscapes Revealed - Big Island.......2007-03-13

Beautiful book! Some of the photos are of areas we couldn't get close enough to take. My only question is...when will the books for the other islands be published?

A Stunning Tour into Paradise and Beyond.......2006-11-05

"This is a land that has ten of the world's fifteen types of climatic zones," so writes Andrew Doughty in the Introduction of HAWAII DREAMSCAPES REVEALED, a stunning collection of photos of the "Big Island."

I went to Oahu a few years ago and was completely blown away by the beaches, the mountains, the ocean. It is one of the few places that not only lives up to the photographs but actually surpasses them in many ways. Paul Theroux, the international best-selling author of "The Mosquito Coast" and some of the greatest travel narratives of all time, moved to Hawaii after kayaking around the islands for his book, "The Happy Isles of Oceana"--and this was a guy who has literally been EVERYWHERE. (He went on to write "Hotel Honolulu" as well). So obviously these are enchanting islands that can get under your skin and draw you back.

I expected great photography of the beaches and lava in HAWAII DREAMSCAPES REVEALED but I was also blown away by other unexpected scenes: an empty black beach covered by so many white pieces of coral that it looks like patches of snow, a cattle ranch beneath a range of mountains that HAS snow on its peaks (in Hawaii!), a high-altitude terrain above the clouds that looks like the surface of Mars. There's one wild shot of lava cooling in smooth orbs on the ground (I expected the liquid-metal Terminator to stand up out of them).

The shots of lush forests and waterfalls and reefs are also striking and well-chosen.

I will definitely be getting the Oahu volume since I'd like to see what this photography couple have done with an island I've seen.

From what they've shown me of the Big Island, I will try to go back someday soon.

"The stuff that dreams are made of...".......2006-10-17

There are two types of travel books. The first has interesting photos, but writing which either detracts, or does not add to the experience. The second has competent writing, but photos you've seen a million times.

This book is neither.

"Hawaii Dreamscapes Revealed" is in a category all of its own.

From the renowned author, Andrew Doughty, along with his photographer, Leona Boyd, "Hawaii Dreamscapes Revealed" has ushered in an entirely new genre of travel books with this articulate and intelligent photo series.

This is one of the most exquisite books I've ever read.

Clearly, the writer and photographers of "Hawaii Dreamscapes Revealed" have found the beautiful and the savage, the profound and the simple, the dream and the reality. And even more amazingly, they share their extensive knowledge with their readers. Open this book to any page and you'll be astounded at the authors' breathtaking slant on one of the most incredible places in the world.

Yet this is not your typical book of pretty photographs of palm trees in Hawaii. Truly, I've never seen anything like this. Their renderings of snow clouds beneath your feet, wild goats, beaches glittering with gems, jungle flowers, hellish fumes, driftwood, and mountains leave the reader wondering, "Where on earth is this place?"

How in the world could one place contain all of this? Who knew that Hawaii has ten of the world's fifteen climatic zones? I hope to travel to Hawaii someday, and will now do so in an entirely different way.

Check out pages 100-101 for a simply astonishing photo. Enter this dreamscape revealed, and perhaps you'll learn as much about yourself, as you do this amazing place.

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not."- Ralph Waldo Emerson

These two authors carry it with them. Travel with this pair as they let you glimpse the color of Hawaii's soul.

You won't regret the journey.

Dreamscapes in Ribbon Embroidery and Stumpwork

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Dreamscapes in Ribbon Embroidery and Stumpwork
Di Van Niekerk
Manufacturer: Search Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Embroidery | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1844481603

Book Description

Four beautiful paintings turned into embroidery masterpieces by Di van Niekerd, one of the country's foremost ribbon and thread artists. Four beautiful paintings turned into embroidery masterpieces by Di van Niekerk, one of the country's foremost ribbon and thread artists. The book explains how designs printed on fabric are enhanced by several creative embroidery techniques using ribbon and thread. In addition to a wide variety of surface stitches, both the traditional and modern versions, techniques include trapunto, needlelace, padded shapes, tassel-making, wired and detached shapes, using glitter, new ideas for flowers and grass, making interesting trees, and much more. A stitch glossary featuring more than 60 fully illustrated stitches makes this an excellent reference guide too. The exquisite embroidered designs showcase the author's phenomenal talent and will inspire even the most reluctant needleworker to start stitching.

Flesh And Blood (Dreamscape) (Harlequin Intrigue, No 241)

Average customer rating:

surprisingly good series romance

Flesh And Blood (Dreamscape) (Harlequin Intrigue, No 241)
Caroline Burnes
Manufacturer: harlequin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0373222416

Book Description

"Betrayed!"

The word pealed in Emma Devlin's head like a death knell. Her murdered husband's ghost had appeared to her, claiming he'd been betrayed by those he loved. As much to preserve her sanity as to quell his restless spirit, she sought answers at Ravenwood, and antebellum mansion steeped in legend. But nothing could have prepared her for a dusk-darkened encounter at sword point with a mesmerizing Confederate cavalry officer!

Like a gallant knight of the Old South, Nathan Cates offered his help to a damsel in distress. He hoped to heal Emma's scar-worn heart and to protect her from the danger that stalked her every move. But he had very little time. For soon Nathan would have to return to an existence in which he was no longer made of flesh and blood . . .

Customer Reviews:

surprisingly good series romance.......2005-03-30

this novel-in the dreamscapes line by Silhouette-which is a paranormal series. This particular romance, is a ghost story, but unlike any I've read so far. The setting, an Antebellum house, a confederate soldier and a modern day widow looking for closure to her husbands death was a very good romantic suspense book. While this book's "ghostly" overtones may not be enough for some paranormal purists, I think those who truly like a well written, entertaining read will quite enjoy it.

The most surprising aspect of this book was the "unhappy" end, though much more feasible to the storyline. I look forward to reading more from this author.
4 1/2 stars!

Average customer rating:

From A Distance

Dreamscapes: From A Distance
Emilie Richards
Manufacturer: Silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0373511701

Book Description

Close encounters

He was ice and she was fire -- mated in a cascade of wedded bliss. Yet their happily-ever-after turned into a sea of estrangement, and nothing could stem the salty tears that washed Stefan and Lindsey onto the barren shores of separate lives.

Grindingly lonely, aching with need, each would willingly bridge the starkest hell in the other's arms. But what they needed was a miracle.

Then out of the night came eerie lights . . . alien music . . . otherworldly wisdom . . . and Lindsey discovered the key to perfect communion. But the price was steep -- her time on earth was running out. And if Stefan couldn't unlock his heart, he'd lose his chance at heaven . . . forever.

Customer Reviews:

From A Distance.......2003-02-11

This book is one of a small series, the second one is better, But I recomend that you read this one first. It explains alot about Patrick, aka: Alden.

Average customer rating:

A keeper
A Delightful Paranormal Romance

Dreamscapes: His Chosen Bride
Marcia Evanick
Manufacturer: Silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0373511817

Book Description

An inconvenient marriage.

Tenderhearted Gillian Barnett agreed to marry a virtual stranger to fulfill a long-ago promise. Powerful warlock Mason Blacksword was the epitome of Gillian's every fantasy, but although he knew as well as she did that the terms of their marriage required making a baby, he refused to be a father!

It was bad enough Mason was honor-bound to marry a woman who'd been chosen for him, but having fatherhood foisted upon him was even worse! It wasn't what he wanted, yet just being near Gillian made him long for a closeness sure to bring ruin to them both . . . Unleashing a passion greater than even his powerful magic could withstand.

Customer Reviews:

A keeper.......2002-01-14

I've read this book for the third time, now. I enjoyed it this time just as much as the first two.
I like reading something out of the ordinary on occasion and this is. This isn't your typical witches and warlocks. There are no good or bad witches and warlocks, just people. I liked the way Gillian and Mason are forced the marry, because of the good of their people. How they relate to marriage and what a baby will mean and what could happen if a witch uses her powers when she's pregnant.
The things that happen to the two and what they do to each other make for a delightful read.

A Delightful Paranormal Romance.......2001-06-09

Gillian Barnett is a witch. No, not in the way some are thinking! :) She is an actual witch. Her mother, grandmother and sister are witches. Her father and twin brothers are warlocks. She is ordered by the Council to marry a man hand-picked by them. She must marry a fertile warlock in the hope that she will have strong, fertile children.

The Council matches her with Mason Blacksword. He is the complete opposite of what she longs for in a mate. Even though he is tall, powerfully built and extremely handsome, she believes him to be a control freak. He never smiles nor does he laugh. She believes Mason's gift is his control - his inner strength. In contrast, Gillian has been blessed with the gift of love and compassion. She believes that their gifts clash and their marriage will never work out.

Gillian demands his love and sets out to win his heart. Mason tries to remain aloof, unemotional but he has a hard time especially when confronted with Gillian's beauty, determination and gentleness. The wall he has encased himself in starts to crack as Gillian weaves a spell over him. She teaches him how to smile and more importantly - to love.

But a shadow hoovers overhead. An unknown danger is stalking Gillian. Someone is toying with her, sending her "things" that would give anyone nightmares. It is up to Mason to save her.

This was a funny, heartwarming and utterly delightful story. I loved the chemistry between Mason and Gillian. The love scenes were yummy, too. Grab yourself a copy and enjoy this marriage of convenience with a paranormal twist.

Dreamscapes: Sea Gate
Average customer rating:

Great until the ending

Dreamscapes: Sea Gate
Maura Seger
Manufacturer: Silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0373511728

Book Description

Brave new world . . .

Andrew Paxton was a man of science -- he dealt with the facts and left the fantasizing to others. His work involved classified government material, so when his small son discovered a raven-haired beauty washed up on the shore behind his secluded island home, he was bound to be suspicious.

The first thing Marina realized when she came to was that she was far from home. She hated deceiving the very man who'd saved her life, but there was too much at stake. Even as she weighed the cost of the truth, her secret was exposed, and in an instant she knew she'd risk everything to ensure his safety -- and his love.

Customer Reviews:

Great until the ending.......2001-02-09

A beautiful woman from the fabled Atlantis washes upon the beach of a handsome man! The story was good, until the ending - where it kind of fizzled out. The description of Atlantis and it's inhabitants and history were very well written - very imaginative.

American Dreamscape: The Pursuit of Happiness in Post-War Suburbia

Average customer rating:

Fresh perspective
Read It
Skip it.
Disappointment
Dreamscape considers suburban reality

American Dreamscape: The Pursuit of Happiness in Post-War Suburbia
Tom Martinson
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0786707712

Book Description

Filmmakers, novelists, social critics, environmentalists - they all decry suburbia, and the myths of mindless conformity, uncontrolled sprawl, decentralization, and cultural blight continue to grow. But so do the suburbs. In a phenomenon unparalleled in the social history of modern, post-war America, more than 138,000,000 Americans - the majority of our national population - now live in suburbs; for the most part, happily. And Tom Martinson, a city planner whose fieldwork for this book has taken him to more than a hundred communities throughout the United States, has discovered why. Whereas recent titles like Suburban Nation and Jane Holz Kay's Asphalt Nation have attracted media attention for their indictments of suburbia as an American nightmare, this lucid, incisive volume displays conclusively that the suburbs, which are no less various than they are ubiquitous, defy the stereotypes of urbanist critics. Separating biases that characterize suburban communities as vacuous, wasteful, centerless places from their actuality, Martinson traces the evolution of suburbs over the past two centuries, examines the values that challenge and unsettle the urbanists, investigates charges that government unfairly favors suburbs over cities, and considers possibilities for the future development of suburbia. Martinson knows the issues, and asks some billion-dollar questions. He has illuminating answers as well as copious elucidating photographs of suburbs across the country to support them. With vision, wit, and historical perspective, he surveys and interrogates the war on one of America's premier cultural battlegrounds.

Customer Reviews:

Fresh perspective.......2003-11-04

After reading tons of text on the ills of suburbia, I was pleased to see that someone had attempted to refute some of these accusations. He provides logical arguments on hot-button issues such as density, traffic, community interaction, etc. I have to admit that he challenged many of my opinions on issues such as urban growth. I was raised in the suburbs and I now live in the city, so I appreciate the positive characteristics of both worlds. Honestly, I can't even fathom what childhood would be like in an urban area. Right now, I can't imagine being more than 1 mile from a Chinese restaurant.

Martinson does a great job making a few important points, but he also makes a few too many stereotypes. He goes a little too far into the topic of architecture and he neglects some of the more significant social issues. He doesn't back his social discussions with enough data. Overall, I think Martinson successfully introduced a new perspective to the controversial urban growth discussion. It's definitely worth the read, especially if you're a student in an academic scenario that focuses on the "urbanist" perspective.

Read It.......2002-11-13

Considering I live outside an urban core, this introduces concepts that attempt to explain the differences between urbanites and suburbanites. As with the review by David Bargetzi, anti-suburbanites castigate people who don't think like them as un-informed dullards who've been tricked into living in the suburbs and who destroy the planet because they have a two and half car garage or(as explained in the book)they happen to have a private lawn they take care of. Private land-bad,evil,rotten. Public land-virtuous. This thinking also falls in line with the idea that by alienating or constantly lampooning suburbanites, we'll change our thinking and move back to the city. Or in the case of a David Bargetzi, the suburbs "degrade" life. If nothing else, this book gives you an honest interpretation of another side of American life. It's not perfect, but the big city ain't utopia either.

Skip it........2002-08-21

Mr. Martinson makes a few points over and over in this book. He enjoyed his time growing up in suburbia. Other people seem to love suburbia because there are so many of them living there. And it is wrong, according to Mr. Martinson, to criticize the way people choose to live, even if their behavior does the country as a whole and the world harm by the waste of resources and the overall degradation of life. He ridicules books that criticize the automobile and yet says almost nothing about increasing commuting time that more and more Americans put in in order to live in the suburbs. He implies that anyone who thinks Americans could live more efficiently if they were more densely populated wants nothing but 'big cities.' And the most insulting part is the premise that if many people are doing it now, it must be ok. Skip it and read A Better Place to Live, instead.

Disappointment.......2002-01-04

America has been waiting for a book that offers a balanced assessment of postwar suburbs, a book that offers a closely-reasoned and clear-eyed argument that does justice both to the complexity of the suburbs themselves and to the complexity of the various critiques of the suburbs, a book that avoids obvious logical fallacies and refrains from fighting stereotypes with stereotypes.

America will have to keep waiting. This is not that book.

Dreamscape considers suburban reality.......2001-03-05

Suburbs are fine but not perfect, says Tom Martinson in American Dreamscape. Part memoir, part professional analysis and partly personal response, American Dreamscape adds to what Martinson calls the "disappointingly small cohort" of work that takes "U.S. suburbia on its own terms." And though imperfect, particularly in the area of fancy architectural design, suburbs stand innocent of charges hurled by the group Martinson calls "urbanists," a group that includes "much of the dominant print media, the intelligentsia, and big city politicians." The urbanists presume the virtue of cities and stultifying deadness of suburbs. Instead, Martinson's premise is that every type of community environment is important and each should be considered on its own terms. Martinson draws a line at "the routine lack of personal respect afforded those who might not agree with the urbanist dogma." The arrogance irritates him. A planner / consultant who lives in a suburb of Minneapolis, a hot-bed of "smart growth" activity, Martinson grew up in Midwest suburbs. He reviews his youth and finds it quite reasonable, full of places to go and things to do. Today's suburbs are the same, even if the ad hoc community activities remain invisible to urbanists. Martinson writes straightforwardly and throws in some dry wit along the way. He says the argument of one suburbia critic amounts to asserting, "140 million American suburbanites are simply too ignorant to know better." American suburbs have been around for 150 years and their roots go back much further into the American experience, Martinson says. What we see today is additional manifestation of two fundamentals-seeking value, "more for their money"-and the big psychological benefit of "gaining personal space," The middle class gets most of Martinson's attention. For simplification, he creates three middle class groups: Yeoman (Union laborers, for example), upper middle class (professionals, technical specialists and managers) and Gentry such as owners of major businesses, tenured academics and editorialists. The Yeoman suburbs are the main focus. Martinson finds them rich, varied and full of life. That they are architecturally dull is unfortunate but beside the point. I have to like American Dreamscape. Martinson cites an insight that occurred independently to me last year. My understanding came after hearing a New Mexico "smart growth" group describe a vision of how "we wouldn't be so auto dependent."

Generally implementing the smart growth vision would require radically reconstructing our society to insert what Martinson calls "this neighborhood-of-small-stores gentry ideal." The vision demands that people forgo the American dreams of convenience, choice and low price-all the things delivered by, say, Wal-Mart and Home Depot. Liking American Dreamscape comes for other reasons, too. The book is a reasonable length-243 pages plus 23 pages of notes followed by a source listing and an index. Like suburbs, American Dreamscape isn't perfect, though the problems are small. Martinson's early history of the country ignores the religious basis of this nation's origins. The history gets a bit tedious. Finally, something strange happens toward end of the index; another index jumps into the middle of the S's. The index is incomplete, too. Asphalt Nation, a Urbanist book given a half dozen pages of eloquent rebuttal, appears neither in the source list nor in the index.

Lover in the Shadows (Dreamscapes)
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Lover in the Shadows (Dreamscapes)
Lindsay Longford
Manufacturer: Silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 037351221X

Book Description

Guilty as sin?

Had she gone mad? Molly Harris had woken at the break of dawn lying on the kitchen floor, clutching a bloody knife with no memory of how she'd gotten there. Now Detective John Harlan was at her door, and he was looking for answers. Compelling, mysterious, John was like no man she'd ever known -- there was something haunting behind those dark glasses . . .

As suspicion wrapped around her, so did John -- tailing her every move. And as their investigation led them deeper into the shadows, Molly became aware that John was keeping secrets, secrets about who . . . What . . . he really was. Could she trust her future to such a mysterious stranger, or was her shadowed lover the one had to fear?

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