Book 3 of this set covers the remaining episodes that were filmed after the production moved to pinewood studios. Most of these episodes are more abouBook 3 of this set covers the remaining episodes that were filmed after the production moved to pinewood studios. Most of these episodes are more about mind control and other psychological warfare farther then physical attacks. Some good behind the scenes insight and thought along with some information why UFO was cancelled and then replaced with Space 1999....more
The second book of this trilogy of episode guides focus more on the stories concerning Straker's private life than anything else. Although these partiThe second book of this trilogy of episode guides focus more on the stories concerning Straker's private life than anything else. Although these particular shows were not the most action packed, they feature some of the most powerful storytelling. Anyone who has ever seen 'The Square Triangle' will know what I mean. If you haven't, then track it down and watch it. Very thought provoking stuff....more
The first of three series guides for Jerry Anderson's UFO series. Having just finished a re-watch of the entire series I though I would take a look atThe first of three series guides for Jerry Anderson's UFO series. Having just finished a re-watch of the entire series I though I would take a look at these guides to get someone else's perspective and insights into anything I might have missed. As I expected, there were a few nuances that I didn't catch. I think it's worth reading these after watching the show and then maybe taking a second, or third look at some of the episodes....more
A great analysis of things that potentially threaten our world and humanity. These range from the vast scale unavoidable issues such as the constant iA great analysis of things that potentially threaten our world and humanity. These range from the vast scale unavoidable issues such as the constant increase in entropy of the universe, down to human scale problems such as overpopulation and pollution. Considering this book was written in the 80's, 9o% of it is still relevant. There were a few chapters that obviously showed their age, technology has passed them by. But even these were very interesting to read and assess how close Asimov's predictions were. For example, back in pre-internet days, he predicts that one day every home would have a link to a vast 'World Library' where anyone could access the sum of human knowledge. In a few other areas he was a bit off. We don't yet have solar arrays in orbit, nor any facilities on the moon. The idea that the big bang will eventually slow and become the big crunch is now looking highly unlikely. Well worth the read....more
Excellent autobiography that's narrated by the author in the audio version. The story of Stewarts' career from his childhood in wartime Britain right uExcellent autobiography that's narrated by the author in the audio version. The story of Stewarts' career from his childhood in wartime Britain right up to the third season of Picard on TV. It's quite amazing that he came from a very poor background, living in a house with no hot water or bathroom. He never had much of a formal education but was obviously an acting prodegy, starting on the stage at about age 12. He even had to lie about his age because he was underage to be in the amature dramatic group he started with. Quickly moving up in status he eventually did some 14 years with the RSC before being offered some movie parts (including David Lynch's Dune). After that he was of course Captain Pickard in STNG and then professor Xavier in the X-Men movies. Many, many good stories here so highly recommended. Patrick Stewart's destintive voice makes this extra special as an audio book. ...more
At first I thought this was going to be just a rehash of the script from the TV show 'Men in Kilts', and from listening to the first 10 minutes I appeAt first I thought this was going to be just a rehash of the script from the TV show 'Men in Kilts', and from listening to the first 10 minutes I appeared to be correct. After putting it aside for a few weeks I thought I would give it another go. Really glad I did as this turned out to be nothing like I had expected. Sam and Graham are two of the stars of Outlander and will be very familiar to any fans. The audiobook is read by the two authors and therefore comes across as very authentic due to their Scottish accents. For the most part, they do tone down their accents so that it's easily understood by anyone. Most of the book is full of historical characters, events and places in Scotland interspersed with biographical info on the two authors and many behind the scenes from Outlander. For fans of Scotland, History or Outlander I can't recommend this highly enough. The narration is first rate and comes across as very authentic....more
The audio book is read by Gaiman himself which definitely adds something to the overall work. For me the first part of the book was the best, consistinThe audio book is read by Gaiman himself which definitely adds something to the overall work. For me the first part of the book was the best, consisting of keynote and other speeches from conventions etc. Most of the middle part was dedicated to introductions that Neil has written for other books and these only worked well if I had read the book in question. The others were a bit bland without any context or connection to the work....more
This is much what you would expect really. Reflections an gems of wisdom that only someone of an advanced age can put together. William Shatner has liThis is much what you would expect really. Reflections an gems of wisdom that only someone of an advanced age can put together. William Shatner has lived a long and full life and here he reflects on some of things that have emotionally effected him the most. The audio book is narrated by Shatner and I was surprised that he reads at a really fast pace. Totally unlike the delivery we usually associate with him. ...more
The autobiography of Grace Lee Whitney, probably remembered most for her appearance as Yeoman Janice Rand on the original Star Trek. As well as that rThe autobiography of Grace Lee Whitney, probably remembered most for her appearance as Yeoman Janice Rand on the original Star Trek. As well as that role she many other parts on various TV shows of the 60's. One thing I didn't know was that she was one of Sweet Sue's band in the movie 'Some Like it Hot'. Unfortunately, behind the scenes, her story was similar to that of Casandra Peterson (Elivra) in that she suffered abuse at the hands of men in Hollywood. She was adopted as a baby and that had a profound impact on her outlook on life. It's a sad and moving story and I admit I found much of it depressing to read. It's her story though and deserves to be read....more
An educational book with lots of pictures and aimed at a younger audience. It looks nice, but some of the text captions on the pictures are either repAn educational book with lots of pictures and aimed at a younger audience. It looks nice, but some of the text captions on the pictures are either repetitive or not very relevant. A nice book to read through but I'm sure there are much better books on pirates out there. ...more
This book is basically a show case of William Stouts dinosaur paintings and illustrations put into an educational format. There are a lot of amazing iThis book is basically a show case of William Stouts dinosaur paintings and illustrations put into an educational format. There are a lot of amazing illustrations, several hundred I would guess, so this was obviously a labor of love by Stout. The accompanying text starts off with some basic history but for the most part it's like a collection of very short stories based upon day to day activities in the life of various dinosaurs. I'm sure some of this is based on fossil remains, but most of descriptions of their behavior must be pure speculation. The factual information was very well presented and at a level that puts this above the initial perception that is is a children's book. The latin names of the dinosaurs and their different classifications gets very complex and I found myself skipping over some of this.
A great book even if you only pick it up to look at the pictures. Somewhat spoiled if you actually read all the text. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for Goodreads....more
This introductory level book goes into the details of how Egyptian Hieroglyphs came to be understood and translated. It's very interesting that from This introductory level book goes into the details of how Egyptian Hieroglyphs came to be understood and translated. It's very interesting that from the time Europeans first became interested in the carvings it took about 400 years before they could be understood enough to be read and mostly understood. The early attempts focused either on interpreting the glyphs as pictographs, or as a phonetic alphabet but these never succeeded because they're a complex mixture of the two. Most pictographs can have many different meanings and you have to know the context to get the right one. Even after the discovery of the Rosetta stone it took many years to even figure out the, at first glance, obvious pharaoh names. Even today, many of the obscure religious texts remain a mystery to us because we have no point of reference or context to aid the translation. Well worth a look if you are even mildly interested in Egyptology. ...more
I purchased an autographed copy of this book when it first came out but then noticed that the author had narrated her own audiobook version, so I bougI purchased an autographed copy of this book when it first came out but then noticed that the author had narrated her own audiobook version, so I bought that as well. As far as memoirs go this one is very entertaining. There are some great stories in here, a tale with several 'being in the right place at the right time' moments and also quite a lot of really sad and traumatic events. Peterson is best known as Elvira, but some of her most amazing adventures happened before she created her alter ego. Picked out of the crowd to be the youngest singing and dancing Vegas Showgirl at age 17 (during Vegas's golden years of Elvis and The Ratpack), living in Europe for a while, touring as the singer of a band in Italy (singing in Italian). Back in the US her career had a lot of ups and downs, but through them all she always believed in herself. Being a member of the LA comedy improv troupe 'The Groundlings' is a good example of this trait. As she says in the book 'If you can get up on stage at a comedy club, night after night, and have no idea what you are going to say or do, then your not really afraid of anything'. Well worth reading and not just for Elvira fans. For the record I listened to the audiobook and Peterson's stage and screen experience pays off in her delivery. I referred to the hardback for the many illustrations and photographs. ...more
A collection of Clarkson's columns originally for the Sunday papers. Because these have been collected together by subject matter they vary greatly inA collection of Clarkson's columns originally for the Sunday papers. Because these have been collected together by subject matter they vary greatly in age, ranging from 1985 up to 1996. As a result, a great many of the cars he talks about are no longer around, or at least not very common.
Some fun stuff in here and if you have read any of his other books, or seen him on TV, you know what to expect. Witty no nonsense commentary with the occasional gem of wisdom....more
I recently finished 'Restaurant Man' by Joe Bastianich, then I noticed this book in my Audible Plus subscription. Aaron Sanchez is another of the judgI recently finished 'Restaurant Man' by Joe Bastianich, then I noticed this book in my Audible Plus subscription. Aaron Sanchez is another of the judges on the TV cooking show 'MasterChef' so I though it would be interesting to get another perspective on the culinary world.
In some ways Sanchez's story starts out similar to Bastianich in that both of them have extremely talented mothers who became world class chefs without any format training. Sanchez did have some formal training but his enthusiasm and desire to learn everything he could about Latino food and culture is what made him a success. Not just Mexico, but all the diverse cuisine of the whole of Latin America.
For me, the most interesting parts of this book were his behind the scenes look at the emergence of cooking on television. Sanchez was one of the early chefs who took a gamble on the new enterprise of the Food Network. At that time, it was a new venture and nobody knew if it would be a success, or if they were just wasting their time. As we all know the Network was an outstanding hit. He went on to be on a number of TV shows, Chopped, Taco Trip and of course Masterchief.
Besides the culinary aspects of the book there is a lot of interesting thoughts of the importance of family, culture and overall problems of the industry. Sanchez confirms what I have read in other books by chefs. It's really, really hard work.
Having now read memoirs by two out of three Masterchef judges I guess I should finish off with a book on Gordon Ramsey:)
Note: Sanchez reads the audiobook himself and does a great job. Animated and dynamic he really emphasizes the point he is trying to get across. ...more
An encyclopedic book of 497 scientific words that are in common use today. As well as an explanation of the word the origin of the words is also definAn encyclopedic book of 497 scientific words that are in common use today. As well as an explanation of the word the origin of the words is also defined. As you would expect, many of them have their origins in Latin or Greek but many others have surprising or accidental beginnings. Some of them have strayed from the original so that they no make much sense when compared to their roots.
This books is best read in small doses or used as reference materiel, reading it straight would be tough going. I am only giving this book 3 stars because although the book was revised in 1974 (from the 1959 original) there are many entries that are now totally outdated. It would be nice if some current scientist would take this book, revise it once more, and release it as a collaborative work. Neil DeGrasse Tyson would be my first choice....more
I usually avoid abridged audiobooks but for this one its the only version read by the author. As well as the narration by Austin, there are several smI usually avoid abridged audiobooks but for this one its the only version read by the author. As well as the narration by Austin, there are several small sections where Jim Ross (JR) reads some observations from his point of view. There are also a couple of brief sound clips from WWE footage.
It's a pretty good overview of Austin's career and goes over some of his more colorful moments such as the notorious King of the Ring interview where Austin's ad-libbing came up with the catch phrases "Austin 3:16" and "That's the bottom line 'cos Stone Cold said so". These went on to sell more T-Shirts than anything the WWE's multi million dollar advertising and marketing department could come up with. He also goes onto the details about his injury suffered at the hands of Owen Hart and the feud with Vince McMahon, both on and off camera.
If you were a WWE fan during the 'attitude' era then you will really appreciate this candid look at the beer drinking redneck from Victoria Texas, oh hell yeah! ...more
This is one of those non fiction books that attempts to pull together bits of historical record and present the known facts with a lot of conjecture tThis is one of those non fiction books that attempts to pull together bits of historical record and present the known facts with a lot of conjecture to fill in the gaps. That Matthew Hopkins was a real person is not in dispute, it's just his history and details of all the witch trials and hangings that is a bit sketchy. I find it hard to believe that there were so many mistakes in the surviving records regarding names, places and events. Many accounts were written years later from second or third hand witnesses so more errors would creep in there.
An interesting account of the tyranny of the puritan Christians during and just after the Civil War, but not one to read unless you have some particular interest in the subject. ...more
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