Doctor Strange: Beginnings and Endings (New Avengers)
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Graphic SF Reader
  • A bit dull
  • Great Dr. Strange origin rewrite
  • Re-imagining of Doctor Strange!
  • Doctor Strange reborn
Doctor Strange: Beginnings and Endings (New Avengers)
J. Michael Straczynski , Samm Barnes , and Brandon Peterson
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0785115773

Book Description

Brash young surgeon Dr. Stephen Strange is on a collision course with destiny - a journey that will force him to search the deepest corners of his own heart... and the outer reaches of the cosmos! Masters of the comic-book medium J. Michael Straczynski, Samm Barnes, and Brandon Peterson chronicle the adventures of the Master of the Mystic Arts in the year's most highly anticipated origin story! Collects Strange #1-6.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

This is J. Michael Straczynski's own reworking of the origin of Doctor Strange. He has updated it for the time period, changed the time period and the enemies early on quite a bit.

Strange is thrust into a role a lot earlier than previously, and gets more than he bargained for, as well as another woman to help him.


2 out of 5 stars A bit dull.......2007-07-25

I am a big Doc Strange fan from the beginning. He's one of my favorite Marvel characters and I was interested to see what this re-imagining of the origin would bring to the table. In the end, while very competent, I was left wondering why it was necessary. The arrogant surgeon angle, while true to the original story, is fairly simple to understand and it does not take 5/6ths of a graphic novel to illustrate effectively. That's a fancy way of saying I found the pacing slow and a bit dull.

There were also some rip-offs from the Matrix (they even site Morpheus as the inspiration for his new look at the end) that left me scratching my head. One character in particular was almost a complete lift of Trinity.

The more I look at the new costume, the more I dislike it. He looks like a pimp. Sure the old version was very loud and more in-line with the color sensibilities of the 1960's, but the new version's use of an overcoat and vest makes him look more than a little silly - like an out of touch older man trying to be "hip".

Overall this graphic novel did not work for me, failing to add anything new and interesting to the Dr. Strange story.

5 out of 5 stars Great Dr. Strange origin rewrite.......2007-01-17

Being a huge fan of both Daredevil and Dr. Strange I can say that without a doubt this is one of the best origin rewrites ever. Don't be surprised when you get half way through it and there has not been a lot of action. Dr. Strange isn't like that. He isn't the "Guns-a-Blazing" Cable or Wolverine, he is more like a smooth bourbon that only gets better the more it settles. Enjoy.

4 out of 5 stars Re-imagining of Doctor Strange!.......2006-04-29

The book serves as a reimagining for the orign of a classic character. I've been a Doctor Strange fan for a longtime and always felt the good doctor was somewhat...unappreciated by his peers in the Marvel Universe, and this book helps show all readers who the character is and all he stands for and has gone through. There are some problems with the story, such as with the character Clea. Clea is introduced as somewhat of a guardian figure, who spends all her time playing babysitter for Doctor Strange and giving him alot of "tough love" that seems a very forced relationship (plus her ties to Dormammu are never fully explained). Also, is the fact that Strange is injured in a skiing accident rather than the classic automobile incident (that fate instead befalls his college professor). And finally is the idea that Ancient One does not die, and the sanctum is already located in New York City (it was not until Strange had achieved the title of Sorceror Supreme for himself that the Sanctum had been located to New York). Still though, this shouldn't divert anyone from the aspects that make the book truly great. You discover the sacrifices that Strange had to make in order to become Sorceror Supreme, the truly demonic entities (demon such as Dormmamu and human like Baron Mordo) that inhabit our world and what the Ancient One's true purpose is, and see Starnge's fall from grace (as he squanders every last cent he has) and eventual rise to true "hero-hood". Altogether, this is a good story for a great character. If you're a true Doctor Strange fan, check out this book!

4 out of 5 stars Doctor Strange reborn.......2005-09-14

Spinning out of the events of Amazing Spider-Man #500, this mini-series finds Amazing Spider-Man and Supreme Power scribe and Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski teaming up with Doctor Spectrum writer Sara "Samm" Barnes to re-imagine the origin of Marvel's sorcerer supreme, Doctor Strange. Make no mistake, this is a re-imagining of his origin, but this is no Ultimate book. Beginnings and Endings begins with young, promising, and arrogant future surgeon Stephen Strange living a life of luxury unaware of his true destiny. After a chance encounter with a sickly, apparently mute young man named Wong, and a tragic skiing accident in which he loses the full ability of the use of his hands, Strange's life begins a spiraling downfall. Unable to find a solution to fix his hands, he encounters a man calling himself the Ancient One, and the course is set for Stephen Strange to become sorcerer supreme: whether he wants to or not. Other characters fans of Strange are familiar with, including the evil Baron Mordo, are here as well, and all together, Straczynski and Barnes weave a more than solid re-imagining of the classic character's origin. Brandon Petersen's pencils are solid for the most part as well, even though some of the action scenes don't look as good as one would hope. All in all, this TPB is more than worth a look for fans of the good Doctor, and it's also a great starting point for new fans to the character.
Endings And Beginnings: On Terminating Psychotherapy And Psychoanalysis
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Endings And Beginnings: On Terminating Psychotherapy And Psychoanalysis
    Herbert J. Schlesinger
    Manufacturer: Analytic Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    Applied PsychologyApplied Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Counseling | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
    Education & TrainingEducation & Training | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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    PsychoanalysisPsychoanalysis | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 0881634131

    Book Description

    What sets off the termination of analysis and psychodynamic therapy from the variety of endings that enter into all human relationships? So asks Herbert J. Schlesinger in Endings and Beginnings: On Terminating Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, a work of remarkable clarity, conceptual rigor, and ingratiating readability. Schlesinger situates termination - which he understands, variously, as a phase of treatment, a treatment process, and a state of mind - within the family of beginnings and endings that permeate one another throughout the course of therapy.

    From the Heart: Tonight and Always/A Matter of Choice/Endings and Beginnings
    Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
    • Fun and light reading
    • Not Worth Buying...
    • couldn't even finish it
    • Good collection
    • Good collection
    From the Heart: Tonight and Always/A Matter of Choice/Endings and Beginnings
    Nora Roberts
    Manufacturer: Berkley Trade
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    AnthologiesAnthologies | Romance | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Romance | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Roberts, Nora | ( R ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 0425176169
    Release Date: 2000-06-12

    Book Description

    Straight from the heart of #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts--a trade paperback collection of three of her favorite novels.

    With over 85 million copies of her books in print, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts is one of the most prolific and popular writers of our time. Now, three of her favorite novels--Tonight and Always, A Matter of Choice, and Endings and Beginnings--are collected in a beautiful new trade paperback edition that will find a special place in the hearts of readers everywhere.

    "There's no mystery about why Roberts is a bestselling author...she delivers the goods with panache and wit." --Publishers Weekly

    "A consistently entertaining writer." --USA Today

    "Roberts has a warm feel for her characters and an eye for the evocative detail." --Chicago Tribune

    "Roberts is indeed a word artist, painting her story and her characters with vitality and verve." --Los Angeles Daily News

    Download Description

    New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts presents a collection of her favorite stories, for a whole new generation of readers. Tonight and Always, A Matter of Choice, and Endings and Beginnings are each overflowing with an intoxicating blend of passion and suspense. And each is written just for you . . .

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Fun and light reading.......2006-06-13

    From the Heart was a nice break from the romance/suspense that NR's been really into lately. I enjoyed reading NR's earlier work. Tonight and Always was my favorite of the three.

    1 out of 5 stars Not Worth Buying..........2004-10-13

    It's a waste of money. I went through the first story. It was pretty okay to be honest with you. But the characters seem a little...cold. Unfeeling. I realize that the collection of story was her rookie story but c'mon it could have been a lot better than it is now. Gimme a break, I couldn't even tell if it was Nora Roberts! The second and the third story I didn't even bother to finish after the first few chapters. It made me sick. It was corny and unbelievale. I kept on asking myself, 'Is this really Nora Roberts?' or 'Why do I bother reading this?!'
    This book was nothing but a disappointment. I thought it would be fun to read the first stories of a fiction phenomenon but it turn out to be a disaster. From now on, I'll just read the new ones, the one from 1990 and up I'll be sure to check out the publish date before anything else. But if you're a person who likes to read old stories from Nora, I suggest Blithe Images. It's pretty good.

    This book doesn't diserve a star at all. Period. But if I don't Amazon won't let me review. SO this concludes my review. DON'T BUY IT! IT'S A WASTE OF 8 DOLLARS!

    1 out of 5 stars couldn't even finish it.......2003-02-07

    All three stories were obvious, with cliche dialogues and simply BORING. I am a Nora Roberts fan and for the first time in my life I couldn't go past page 20 on each story. Nothing against the characters or the plots themselves... they simply didn't catch me at all.

    I am glad I got checked out this book from the library and didn't waste money on it.

    4 out of 5 stars Good collection.......2002-10-28

    I was a bit surprised at the not-so-great reviews this collection of Nora Robert's old romance novels got. I borrowed this book from a friend a couple of years ago even though I don't usually read Nora Roberts as I'm not really into the romance/suspense genre. But when I found a copy at a used bookstore recently, I bought it because I remembered how much I loved the first story, "Tonight and Always" and the third one, "Endings and Begininngs". I can't even decide which of these stories I like better than the other but I have to say they're one of the best stories I've read so far. The only reason I'm not giving this book a 5-star rating is because I seriously did not enjoy the second story, "A Matter of Choice". The plotline, dialogue and characters are predictable, overused and just plain boring.
    If you're wondering whether you should buy this book, I'd suggest you scour the used bookstores first to get a real worth for your money or I guess you can find the individual books. One way or another, "Tonight and Always" and "Endings and Beginnings" are MUST-READS for all romance fans.

    4 out of 5 stars Good collection.......2002-10-28

    I was a bit surprised at the not-so-great reviews this collection of Nora Robert's old romance novels got. I borrowed this book from a friend a couple of years ago even though I don't usually read Nora Roberts as I'm not really into the romance/suspense genre. But when I found a copy at a used bookstore recently, I bought it because I remembered how much I loved the first story, "Tonight and Always" and the third one, "Endings and Begininngs". I can't even decide which of these stories I like better than the other but I have to say they're one of the best stories I've read so far. The only reason I'm not giving this book a 5-star rating is because I seriously did not enjoy the second story, "A Matter of Choice". The plotline, dialogue and characters are predictable, overused and just plain boring.

    If you're wondering whether you should buy this book, I'd suggest you scour the used bookstores first to get a real worth for your money or I guess you can find the individual books. One way or another, "Tonight and Always" and "Endings and Beginnings" are MUST-READS for all romance fans.
    Ologies and Isms: A Dictionary of Word Beginnings and Endings (Oxford Paperback Reference)
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Great little book
    • Informative and Enjoyable
    • the before & aft of English
    Ologies and Isms: A Dictionary of Word Beginnings and Endings (Oxford Paperback Reference)
    Michael Quinion
    Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    English (All)English (All) | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 0192806408

    Book Description

    Aquaculture? Haemophilia? Isochronous? Neuralgia? Polyunsaturated? Rodenticide? How often do we see a technical word without quite knowing what it means? If we can decipher it-undo its language code-we can start to understand others of a similar kind. For example, if we know that words beginning with aqua are to do with water, then we are half way to understanding the word aquaculture. Ologies and Isms is about the building blocks of the English language - the beginnings and endings, and sometimes the middles - that help form or adapt many of the words we use. Whether you're a student or a practitioner, a teacher of English, an inveterate word-user, or just a seeker-out of linguistic trifles, Ologies and Isms will help you understand better the language of your workplace and the world around you.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Great little book.......2005-10-23

    If you enjoy word origins, you will love this book. Very interesting.

    5 out of 5 stars Informative and Enjoyable.......2004-07-20

    The terminology of medicine and biology, to name just two fields, is rife with words formed largely by compounding Greek stems. This book enables a layman like me to make sense of them, and of many other words in more common usage. Michael Quinion's explanations of the word parts (usually prefixes and suffixes, but frequently syllables found in the middle of words) are clearly written, and he provides examples of the most common words using each stem.

    I would estimate that perhaps 80% of the word stems contained in this book are of Greek origin, either directly or as modified by Latin usage. Since the list of stems is 269 pages long, however, that means that there are plenty of word stems of different origin.

    This is also one of those rare reference books that are a joy just to dip into and read an entry or two.

    5 out of 5 stars the before & aft of English.......2003-12-11

    How often have you seen a technical word & not quite known what it meant? Tired of not really knowing what the ingredients on a food box in the store really are?

    OLOGIES AND ISMS by Michael Quinion is a must-have dictionary that will help you decipher the prefixes & suffixes of modern English words.

    Rebeccasreads recommends OLOGIES AND ISMS as an important resource for writers, reporters, students, & anyone who plays with words as in Scrabble or crosswords.
    Lifetimes: Beginnings and endings with Lifetimes in Between
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • Simple & Clear
    Lifetimes: Beginnings and endings with Lifetimes in Between
    Bryan Mellonie
    Manufacturer: Institute of Pacific Studies
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    NonfictionNonfiction | Death & Dying | Social Issues | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 9820200741

    Book Description

    There is a beginning and an ending to everything that is alive. In between is a lifetime. It is the same for people as it is for plants and animals, even for the tiniest insects. Lifetimes helps both children and parents to remember, to understand and to explain that dying is as much a part of living as being born. A moving and beautiful book. In Samoan, Tongan, and English.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Simple & Clear.......2000-04-05

    This book is a simple, beautifully stated, well illustrated teaching about the life cycle for very young (3-6 years old) children. It's a wonderful book for parents and teacher of young children to share often, when there is no crisis, so that when there is loss, the child will experience it in a context.
    Job Loss: Although It Is An Ending, Will It Be a Beginning
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Job Loss: Although It Is An Ending, Will It Be a Beginning
      Jane E. Snyder
      Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback
      ASIN: 1412044278
      Release Date: 2005-07-25

      Product Description

      Coping with job loss is more than conducting a job search. It also includes addressing many feelings and providing healthy self care in order to move successfully into the future.
      From Bad Beginnings to Happy Endings
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        From Bad Beginnings to Happy Endings
        Ed Young
        Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

        GeneralGeneral | Christian Living | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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        InspirationalInspirational | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
        ASIN: 0785279520

        Book Description

        Addressing issues such as divorce, change, discipline and sexual temptation, pastor Ed Young draws on Joseph's life to encourage you to confront your own difficulties with confidence.
        Endings and Beginnings: Silhouette Moments #33
        Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
        • In the Beginning...
        Endings and Beginnings: Silhouette Moments #33

        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback
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        ASIN: 0671461575

        Customer Reviews:

        3 out of 5 stars In the Beginning..........2005-04-07

        In this earlier romance novel by Nora Roberts, we're introduced to a tiny bit of the edge-of-your-seat drama that is prevalent in some of her recent works.

        Liv Carmichael and T.C. Thorpe are rival reporters in the television news game. A typical love story with the normal plot that has been done over and over again: Woman meets man. In this case they have known each other for a few years, as they are always trying to beat the other to the story and be the first on the air to tell their viewing public about the latest headline-making news.

        They deny their love/attraction. Liv denies the attraction, but T.C. just seems to go with the flow of things. Liv doesn't want to be involved with her competition and is afraid a relationship will slow her killer instincts when it comes to her job.

        Circumstances bring them together. This is the part where the book becomes interesting. T.C. is taken hostage and the nutcase holding him makes demands using T.C.'s safety as the negotiating factor in meeting those demands. Liv is torn between getting the story and helping to rescue T.C. Like all good romances, love wins in the end. Ah, isn't that sweet?

        This book is a no-brainer as it is an easy read and you don't have to think much about the plot lines, etc. I've heard the term "throw away books" used to describe these paperbacks with between 125 and 200 pages and I feel that's an apt description of this one. You'll be able to read this in a couple of hours so it won't interfere much with your busy schedule. It's not a masterpiece, but it is kinda fun!
        Ghosts in the Garden: Reflections on Endings, Beginnings, and the Unearthing of Self
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • Garden of Blossoming Words
        • a poetic, enriching, wise and calming little book
        • Enchanting.
        • A beautiful, lyrical read - great Mothers Day gift
        Ghosts in the Garden: Reflections on Endings, Beginnings, and the Unearthing of Self
        Beth Kephart
        Manufacturer: New World Library
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

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        ASIN: 1577314980

        Book Description

        National Book Award nominee Beth Kephart's new book is an enchanting midlife meditation on aging, identity, and memory set against the backdrop of Chanticleer garden in Pennsylvania. On the morning of her forty-first birthday, Kephart, a mother, wife, and writer pressured by deadlines, finds herself at Chanticleer, one of the world's most celebrated pleasure gardens. She knows little of the language of flowers. Week after week, she returns to Chanticleer, recalling her childhood self, mulling over legacy and soul, striking up friendships with gardeners and conversations with other visitors. Succored by the seasons and the weather, she finds the grace notes in approaching middle age. There are lessons in seeds, and she finds them. There are lessons in letting go. Kephart writes about questions we all ask ourselves: How do we remember who we used to be? How do we imagine who we'll become? Have we lived our lives as we set out to do? What legacies do we wish to leave behind? The book spans a two-year cycle, and each chapter is accompanied by a gorgeous black-and-white photograph of Chanticleer by William Sulit. Ghosts in the Garden pulses with possibility and purpose, with wisdom that is ageless and transcendent.

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars Garden of Blossoming Words.......2006-03-21

        The author of this small book, that would so easily fit the hands while walking a garden, ready to open while perhaps sitting on a fallen log or stump or among flowerbeds, is a poet in prose. Kephart has written an ongoing essay, covering the seasons of a garden as she covers the changing seasons of her own life. On her 41st birthday, she has a sobering moment of realization. She is about to enter midlife with all its reassessments and transformation and growth, all the realizations of changing roles as wife, mother, woman, writer. Discovering the garden called Chanticleer near her Philadelphia home gives her contemplations a beautiful backdrop, if not a solid grounding to view herself as she views the natural world around her.

        Kephart walks the paths of the public garden and observes, then translates poetically to us, her readers, how she gradually learns to accept the changes inevitable in life. She observes nature as she observes the gardeners themselves. On occasion, she takes with her on her walks her young son, other times her husband, who captures Chanticleer in his own art medium - photography - adding his black and white images to Kephart's text.

        Perhaps one moment so captured that might sum up Kephart's process of midlife transformation is a short essay about the garden after a storm:

        "The garden had been put in its place by weather, and so had the rest of us; we are so entirely miniscule in comparison to wind and rain and hail. We were aware of how everything was angled newly. Made jagged or raw. Thinned out. We were reminded of other storms that had blown in, then turned and vanished.

        "On that day only the gardeners seem brave - hauling broken branches and clumps of errant leaves from wherever they had gotten to, straightening the stakes and invisible ties, suggesting, by the way they carried things, that the world would be made right again. The gardeners were muddy and burdened and resilient because love is the only chance a garden's got. For the moment, and in the moment. Now because of then."

        The walk through Kephart's garden of words is a path well worth taking.

        5 out of 5 stars a poetic, enriching, wise and calming little book.......2005-04-28

        I am always worried where I send for little reflective books that the writing will be flat and the thoughts dull. This one shimmers on the page and the simple, wise writing is pure poetry. I also walked in the garden through the pages and found that, as the author learned and grew with the seasons and her brief encounters with others, so did I. I am keeping this one on my night table to dip into often.

        5 out of 5 stars Enchanting........2005-03-22

        Kephart again uses her beautiful gift of prose to bring us these reflections from Chanticleer. I deliberately took my time with this book, for I wanted to savor each page. The accompanying images add to the peaceful feeling of the book. I highly recommend this book.

        5 out of 5 stars A beautiful, lyrical read - great Mothers Day gift.......2005-03-20

        This book is lovely. It is beautifully written, reflective - you want to take your time and savor it. The photos are a wonderful complement to the book. I think it would be a perfect Mothers Day gift. Make a cup of tea and read this book. I loved it.
        Great Beginnings, Happy Endings: Hors d'oevres and Desserts for Standing Ovations
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Great Beginnings, Happy Endings: Hors d'oevres and Desserts for Standing Ovations
          Renny Darling
          Manufacturer: Royal Publishing Co.
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback
          ASIN: B000NLOFL6

          Books:

          1. Doing Business in the New Latin America: A Guide to Cultures, Practices, and Opportunities
          2. Doing Business Internationally, Second Edition: The Guide To Cross-Cultural Success
          3. Effective Group Discussion: Theory and Practice
          4. Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals: A Guide to Successful Evaluations
          5. Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals: A Guide to Successful Evaluations
          6. Essential SNMP, Second Edition
          7. Essentials of Business Communication
          8. Evaluating Practice: Guidelines for the Accountable Professional (5th Edition)
          9. Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results
          10. Get in the Game: 8 Elements of Perseverance That Make the Difference

          Books Index

          Books Home

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