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The essential works of the iconic American writer Neil Simon (born 1927), one of the world s most celebrated, translated, and widely performed playwrights, collected in three volumes.L.A. Theatre Works Neil Simon Collection Volume 1 includes the following star-studded full-cast recordings:Barefoot in the ParkStarring: Eric Stoltz, Laura Linney, et al.Newlyweds move into a new apartment with no furniture, the wrong paint, leaking skylight and wacky neighbors! A classic comedy!The Odd CoupleStarring: Nathan Lane, David Paymer, Dan Castellaneta, et al.Two legendarily mismatched roommates bring down the house in this classic comedy by America s most successful playwright.Plaza SuiteStarring: Richard Dreyfuss, Ed Asner, Hector Elizondo, Amy Irving, Marsha Mason, Alfred Molina, et al.Neil Simon s hilarious comedy follows three brief encounters in the same suite at the famed Plaza Hotel in New York City. ... Read more

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Neil Simon s acclaimed semi-autobiographicalEugene Trilogy:Brighton Beach MemoirsIn the first installment of the trilogy, 14-year-old Eugene is preoccupied by his passion for the Yankees and his lust for his beautiful cousin.Biloxi BluesThe second hilarious installment of the Eugene Trilogy follows our naïve hero and his sadistic drill sergeant through boot camp in Biloxi, Mississippi.Broadway BoundHaving returned from World War II, Eugene Jerome and his brother Stanley pair up to break into the world of professional comedy writing. ... Read more

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In 1991 Linda and Scott were brought together by a destiny even they could not understand.Their lives were changed forever in that moment, for a crack was made in the wall of time and they were compelled to pass through the opening.This is a true story about a life the Authors shared over 400 years ago.The things related here are memories, not myths or fairy tales.And though the story is a beautiful one,the real Purpose for the existence of this book is to help you to understand that the prophesies and revelations given in visions so long ago are affecting your life now. ... Read more

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Side Man follows the haphazard career of a talented but self-absorbed jazz trumpeter over the course of three decades. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

charming, yet haunting
leight makes the reader care about a group of shadey personalities in a manner one would not think possible.when i started reading the play, i thought narration would ruin it for me, but clifford's insights into the people he interacts with make each of them more fuly realized.both sad and comically endearing, this is a charming play that i am pleased to be seeing on stage very soon!

"All In The Family"
In the tradition of the most distinguished American plays ("Long Day's Journey" and "Glass Menagerie" specifically) Warren Leight reveals the modern family as at once the oddly comic locus of expectations unfulfilled and (in the words of G.B. Shaw) "the greatest instrument of torture the human race has yet devised." There are two sorts of side men in this brilliant play: the jazz musicians who accompany the more stellar performers but live principally for their music nonetheless, and the family members whom they shove off to the margins of their lives as inconsequential side men in comparison to their more important art and male camaraderie. By turns painful and hilarious, the play is altogether worthy of the praise the critics have accorded it.My judgments stem from a reading of the text andfrom the pleasure of having seen the piece recently performed on the stage.

A jazz masterpiece for the American stage.
Warren Leight's brilliant salute to the jazz musicians of his youth. Leight creates a world long past where jazz musician be-bopped their way into immortality among the select few who "got it" in their small jazz world.It is a world of gigs until dawn with legendary musicians, passing joints, unemployment lines, and speaking not words but chords and riffs.Depicted as the casualties of this world are the neglected familes of these musicians ignored as outsiders and civilians.

The playwright easily glides through time (one moment in the present, the next moment thirty years in the past)with the ease of Arthur Miller.

One senses loss in the fading of these jazz gods--like cowboys or Sioux warriors. It is a sad lament to a bygone era in American music.Please do not miss the experience of reading this requiem for that legendary moment in time.

The Best Play this Year
I have seen this play on Broadway and was spellbounded. This play is amazing. It really graspes reality. This play connects with famalies, such as mine, across the globe. It is beautifully written and deserved everyTony award that it recieved. Leight is amazing and does not bore you, doesnot offend you, and does not discomfort you in this all too true play."Side Man" is magnificent and is surely the best play this year.

Haunting and brilliant
I've both read this play and seen it performed, and I've been moved by the author's breadth of heart. He brings a rare humor, intelligence and intuition to this depiction of a family whose dysfunction is intimatelylinked to creativity, in the period when America's musical taste turns fromjazz to rock. What's really heartbreaking is not that the characters causeone another such suffering but the author's tender acceptance that theydon't mean to. The writing style is lucid and often splittingly funny. Inthe end, the characters in Side Man fail in their quest to connect with oneanother, yet Leight connects with each one so compassionately that younevertheless experience a sense of reconciliation. This is a beautifulwork, I recommend it to everyone. ... Read more

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This winning, accessible book is truly remarkable in that Creech lets us witness firsthand how words can open doors to the soul. And this from a boy who asks, "Why doesn't the person just / keep going if he's got / so many miles to go / before he sleeps?" (Ages 8 to 12) --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Customer Reviews (169)

The Good Stuff
Love That Dog is a powerful story about a young boy named Jack.The format of the story was relatively unusual; it was a journal-type book.It begins with Jack explaining how he believes that boys do not write poetry, only girls do."I tried.Can't do it.Brain's empty."In the following few days, his teacher shares poetry with the class.In his journal, Jack expresses his confusion with the meaning of these poems.Using inner feelings and past experiences, Jack "reads between the lines" and finds the deeper meanings within the poems.He then applies his experiences to these meanings and derives his own, unique values.Over time, he uses his inner feelings and personal connections to make the poems have their own unique meaning to himself.His teacher, Ms. Stretchberry, encourages him to compose his own poetry.He gives it to her, asking not to put his name on it and not to put it on the class bulletin board.He began to write more and more poems.The more comfortable he becomes with his writing, the less timid he becomes with the exposure of his poetry to his classmates.

One of the poems Jack composes was inspired by a poem written by Walter Dean Myers, which his teacher read in class.It was a poem that used many of Walter Dean Myers' words, which Jack thought would make Mr. Myers upset.Therefore, he asked his teacher to hide it so no one, including Walter Dean Myers, would be able to see it.This poem sparked Jack's strong ability, talent, and true love for poetry.Jack became so interested in Walter Dean Myers and his works that he wrote a letter to Mr. Myers articulating Jack's admiration and invited Mr. Myers to visit his school.Ms. Stretchberry warns Jack that it may take months for Walter Dean Myers to respond, if he ever responds at all.With Jack's great patience, his much-anticipated response arrived in the mail.Walter Dean Myers was coming "to our city, to our school, to our class."Jack was so excited to see Walter Dean Myers, and the book's powerful ending was the icing on the cake!

If you are one who enjoys finding the deeper meaning in things, you must read this book.This boy's love, creativity, graciousness, and inspiration truly drove the emotions.I highly recommend this book to readers who appreciate powerful words and deep meanings.I also recommend it to those who appreciate poetry or who want inspiration or the sudden desire to write poetry.This book delivered a meaningful message and I strongly recommend it to readers of any age.After reading it, one will "love poetry like a bird loves to fly!"

Great poetry book
What a great poetry book, with the poems in the back it is a great and fun exposure to poetry.Great for book clubs.

A 4th Grade Student Review
Love That Dog is funny and really cute. The characters are the yellow dog, the boy, andMr.Walter Dean Myers. The boy likes to write poems a lot Mr. Walter Dean Myers is a great writer the boy thinks. The yellow dog is a fearless dog and an insperation to the boy as a writer but at the end it's sad because something goes wrong.I wouldgive thisbook 5 stars because its funny.~mnb

loved it
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1PRS2Q9C413HC Starring kids!

i loved love that dog.
i think that it was an amazing book.i like how it was written as a poem.it was happy and sad.and the chapter /poem My Sky was just sooooooo sad.=)it would make me feel so sad if that was my dog.

i am 8 years old. ... Read more

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Jack

Customer Reviews (15)

Can you judge a book by holding it?
A college professor once told one of my classes that just holding a book could somehow impress on the holder the book's content. (Out of context this seems silly, but was very wise within context.) This time I must disagree with that dear professor. Holding "Hate That Cat" with its ugly red cover, then opening it and looking at the poetic forms inside made me snap it closed, put it back on the shelf, and huff: Why would I want to read a novel written in poetic form? Mercy me, sometimes I can be so silly.

"Hate That Cat" is one of the most touching, endearing, delightful, clever, entertaining, instructive books I've ever read. Written in poetic form based on the poems his teacher presents, the book outlines the thinking and writing processes of Jack, one young boy, not any boy, but a very bright, creative boy, one you would want as your student (if a teacher) or your child (if a parent). I was totally captivated by the character, the style of the book, the themes conveyed--not just one, but several, and left tear stains on the last 20 pages or so. This in a 148-page book.

Here's one example of what I mean. Miss Stretchberry introduced the poem by William Carlos Williams (one of my favorites, BTW) entitled "The Red Wheelbarrow."

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

So here's what he writes to Miss Stretchberry:

"The wheelbarrow poem again?
Did you forget we read it last year?

Okay, here's one:

so much depends upon
a creeping cat
crouched in the tree
beside the yellow bus stop."

Then he tells Miss Stretchberry that she will probably ask why (this is his journal) so much depends on that cat. He anticipates this question by writing:

"Remember:
the wheelbarrow guy
didn't say why
so much depended upon
the red wheelbarrow and
those white chicky chickens."

Dear Reader, I began laughing at this boy's cheekiness and his creativity, almost forgetting who the actual creator was--Sharon Creech. As clever manipulator of language, especially language based on poetry lessons and life lessons, Ms Creech is simply divine in reaching way down deep inside a person to pull out one's sensitivity, humanity, compassion, care, and concern.

You see, this boy's mother is deaf and must sign to communicate. This boy does also and imagines not only his own responses to the poetry his teacher presents, but how to relay these responses to his mother so she will "know" how words sound, especially when using assonance and consonance and alliteration and onomatopoeia and the like.

In the back are the words to all the poems used in the book: "Love That Boy" by Walter Dean Myers, "Bells" by Poe, "kitten" by Valerie Worth, "The Eagle" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "Black Cat" by Christopher Myers, "The Naming of Cats" by T.S. Eliot, and three more WCW poems. With each one Jack writes his own version--sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always creative and entertaining!

This novel is the sequel to Love That Dog (don't tell me it's out of print!), but it is not necessary for appreciating this book. Basically, Jack had a yellow dog he loved, but it died (I don't know how). Now there is this stray black cat that Jack tried to save out of a tree by the bus stop. It claws and bites him, thus his hate for "that black cat." Later he gets a kitten for Christmas:

The Gift
(Inspired by Mr. William Carlos Williams)
by Jack

So much depends upon
a black kitten
in a straw basket
under the Christmas tree.

I'll let that image stay before you as I close this review. I laughed out loud, I cried, I sighed, and now I wish for everyone to read this book for the same amazing round of emotions so wrought in one book. Thank you, Sharon Creech, for this brilliant little book! I know you don't hate cats, nor does Jack!

A fabulous story, and it works well either as a sequel to LOVE THAT DOG or as a stand-alone
Jack, the boy who loved that dog in LOVE THAT DOG, is back for another school year and another batch of poems. School has just started, and Jack is lucky enough to have the same teacher from last year, Miss Stretchberry. But that means he's in store for a lot more poetry.

Older and far more mature, Jack is now learning more about the nuances of poetry. Ever heard of consonance, assonance, or alliteration? Jack hasn't, but he learns. There are more poets to read from and more postcards from Walter Dean Myers, who wrote the poem "Love That Boy" that Jack loves so much.

As Jack becomes a more developed poet, he also becomes a more developed person. Miss Stretchberry urges him to try writing about his mother, his reply to which is, "No I cannot write/about my mother./That would be/IM-POSS-I-BLE." When he learns about similes, however, he edits that thought: "The chair in my room/is like a pleasingly plump momma."

Even his thoughts on cats begin to change as Jack meets more and more of them, whether it's near the bus stop or in class when Miss Stretchberry brings them in. And we get to experience everything almost as if it's firsthand, all while reading Jack's poetry journal.

Jack's poems, both in free verse in his journal and those that he models after famous poets like Tennyson and Christopher Myers, follow us through the school year. We'll see what happens when he gets a very surprising present under the Christmas tree.

HATE THAT CAT is a fabulous story, and it works well either as a sequel to LOVE THAT DOG or as a stand-alone. This is a fun and easy read, and it's a great way to begin to learn about poetry. Reading it will make you want to find a kitten to put on your lap, and will lead you to want to write a poem or two. Or a hundred. Sharon Creech has created another winner that would be perfect for reading alone, as a family, or as a class. I highly recommend it.

I just don't get it.
I am reading this book with my son who is in third grade. I don't understand the glowing reviews for this book. This book is painful to read with him. He hates it and so do I.

Cute
Cute book. Poems written by Jack to his teacher. Almost like a conversation instead of poems really. Jack's dog died, he hates a cat that he sees hanging around in a tree, his mom is deaf, and he gets a cat for Christmas. All of these things going on in Jack's life he puts into poems that are assigned by his teacher. A quick read and cute.

Readers of all ages will enjoy
I am a high school English teacher and very much enjoyed Creech's Hate That Cat, which followed Love That Dog. She has a lovely voice and will draw you into the story through Jack. I received this book as a gift (from another English teacher!) and have since given to a student because I enjoyed it so much. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (54)

More than Just Framing
I was very happy with the content in this book.The author covers everything from foundations, floors, walls, roofs, stairs and every material that attaches to wood framing.This book is loaded with up to date residential construction ideas to include how to super insulate and how to size structural members thru "rule of thumb" methods.For the most part the details are correctly referenced to the isometrics.Speaking of isometrics, many details are drawn this way.Looking at three dimensional details in reference to wall sections was very helpful in comprehending the concepts.For example, I appreciated the three dimensional explanations of how to flash around window openings before windows are installed thus creating a second line of defense against water infiltration.Ever wonder what the difference between moisture barriers, vapor barriers and air barriers were?The author takes you thru a very clear and methodical way to select which materials will work yet not counteract the important characteristics of any of the three barriers.Some materials can act as a combination of any of the three as well.The only annoyance for me occurs when I came across the spelling errors.Given this is the third addition; you would think spelling errors would have been flushed out by now.I own the latest Version of the Architectural Graphic Standards and I still like the residential focus of this books ability to communicate great ideas simplistically.

book serves a purpose
I purchased this book to assist me in understanding how a home is built. I volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and have never done this kind of work before. The book will be very useful in allowing me to "see" what I am building before I build it. It puts everything in it's proper perspective so I know what I am doing. So far it has been very useful. Even though the book is 10 years old the information is still valid.

How to build a house, if you are curious, but don't want to know how to REALLY build one.
Just buy the 2009 International Residential Code For One-and-Two Family Dwellings: Soft Cover Version
The IRC has similar drawings and is the CODE / LAW in most places. Not only does it have similar drawings but it has 1000x more info. It tells nailing spacing requirements, etc. The only problem w/ the IRC is it is very expensive. It legally should be free, as it is U.S Law, but that is a different issue... I also recommend Wood-Framed Shear Wall Construciton; An Illustrated Guide.


This book shows how to make basic framing items in 2x4 and 2x6 construction.

However it fails, miserably.

It includes too much info. on things unrelated to framing: Foundations, windows, etc. and not enough on framing.

It's drawing are poor in places, the windows section is terrible.

It lacks any practical info. such as how to make a 2x6 and 2x4 built up headers.

He does not tell you to space a 1/2 OSB board in between 2x4's (1.5 + 1.5 + .5 = 3.5 inches) 2x4 walls actual width is 3.5 inches and nail both sides w/ 16 D nails... etc.

He also leaves out any actual MATH that could help you determine what headers to use, except one small sentence on 1 story 2x4 house headers....

Also try looking up: SPAN, HOLD-DOWN, or other important terms in the index... NOT THERE, even though HOLD-DOWN is defined right before the index....

While some of this info. should be on your plans from your Architect, small projects can be approved by the city or county without an architect, so the info is relevant.

Lacking
This book has many gaps in graphics and content.Ultimate Guide to House Framing, 3rd ed. John D. Wagner, is much better at both.

good images , lacks theory
Very well done publication. The drawings are very thorough. It severely lacks any theory or formulas on the topics contained in the book.
If all you need are pictures then this is the book for you. If you want more practical information then do not buy this book. ... Read more