'Good Neighbors: Affordable Family Housing (Design for Living)' by Tom Jones

Reviewer: Wayne Redhart (to see more of his reviews and to vote for him click his name):

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Economic proposals, 12 Aug 2007

This is a carefully considered guide to the design of economically viable housing. As the population continues to rise exponentially, future British developments will be in need of careful planning. Prices are already making life difficult for buyers and the construction of an adequate volume of budget housing will be a necessity. As author Tom Jones says, 'It's Not Unusual' for a family to need the equivalent of a 'Thunderball' jackpot in order to make a purchase. Gone are the days when it was possible to 'Help Yourself' to a sizeable property for next to nothing. I like the suggestion that despite the increasing need to make the most of space, we should not 'Kiss' goodbye to our gardens. As proud Welshman Tom says, even budget properties should not be without 'The Green, Green Grass of Home'.

Penetrating Wagner's "Ring" (Da Capo Paperback) (Paperback)
by John L. DiGaetani (Editor)

Reviewer: Wayne Redhart (to see more of his reviews and to vote for him click his name):

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
Deeply Penetrating, 21 May 2007

As implied by the title, this collection probes deeply into Wagner's vast Ring piece. Accusations of anti-semitism make Wagner's Ring a sensitive area today, but it continues to offer pleasure to many. This is a masterful work of musical scholarship that deserves a place on any sturdy shelf. No doubt it will influence appreciation of Wagner's Ring for many years to come. Among the highlights is the revealing chapter on the many characters than Wagner has managed to cram into his Ring. Also covered are the brass instruments that Wagner designed specifically for use within his Ring. There will always be those who are opposed to musical analysis (just the same as there will always be those who resort to juvenile humour, regarding the title). They will say that Wagner's Ring is 'violated' with excessive force of scholarship. For this reviewer, however, Wagner's Ring remains quite intact and is indeed tightened by the exploration. In short, this stimulating venture in and out of Wagner's Ring has resulted in a seminal, fluid output.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) [Adult Edition] (Hardcover)

Reviewer: Wayne Redhart (to see more of his reviews and to vote for him click his name):

11 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
Here at last!, 21 Jul 2007

It's been a long wait, but finally it's here! I'm not going to give away any details of the well-protected plot, but it's a cracking read that will almost certainly produce tears. The characters' coming of age is portrayed all the better in this steamy 'adult edition'. I particularly enjoyed the scene in which Harry shows Hermione his skills of prestidigitation behind the bicycle-sheds (after a trip to the Co-op to capitalise on a buy-one-get-one-free offer on White Lightning). I felt that it was unnecessary for Harry to pepper his speech with quite so much coarse language (barely a sentence goes by without four-letter profanity), but you can't deny JK Rowling's gritty sense of realism. You will find few books with more violence or full-frontal nudity. In fact, one of the main characters spends the whole book stark naked! If you're buying for the kids, stay well away from this particular edition. I would hate to think of teenagers emulating Harry's caddish deception of casting a fake contraception spell to avoid having to don a sheath- my sister fell for that same routine many years ago, but fortunately she came out with nothing that couldn't be fixed with anti-biotics and knitting needles. Anyway, if you're eighteen years or older, don't even think about settling for the children's edition! Harry gets far more use out of his magic wand in this uncensored version.