Associate Professor

Japanese, The Spoken Language: Part 2 (Yale Language Series) (Pt. 2)
$38.00
I have had to learn from several textbooks as I hop from college to college but this is by far the worst. Never have i spent more time hearing my teacher correct the book than I have actually learned from the book. The companion writing book is no better. The words and phrases are outdated. Our native Japanese teacher's assistant has had to tell us "that... doesn't mean that" or "no one says this anymore... if you do, no one in Japan will understand you."
Frankly, the book is good at one thing and that is how to not offend anyone in Japan by being too informal. Otherwise, it isn't worth the paper it is printed on. Teachers love it though and I am still not sure why.

Teaching Approaches in Music Theory, Second Edition: An Overview of Pedagogical Philosophies
$29.50
This is a wonderful reference. It is quite readable and presents good useful material in succint fashion. A great graduate-level textbook.

Kathe Kollwitz
$45.00
Kollwitz's lithographs captivate any feeling viewer. Until there's some way to render raw emotion on paper, especially the many different sorrows of war and poverty, her monochrome lithos approach that goal most closely. That makes it easy to forget her mastery of other media and other feelings, too. This book broadens a reader's view of this wonderful artist.

The cover image, "Female Nude with Green Shawl," starts to break the reader free from the easy stereotype of Kollwitz. It adds color to her commonly dark palette, and presents a simple celebration of womanly elegance. "Self-portrait laughing" and "Lovers" show that she could not only express joy, but depict different kinds of it. Woodcuts, etchings, charcoals, ink and wash, and wonderful pastels each display her drawing ability in different ways. "Tower of Mothers," "Mourning Parents," "Lovers," and other sculptures show her skill in bronze, granite, and plaster. Kollwitz's skills range far beyond what she's best known for, and this book helps us appreciate the breadth of that ability.

Given so many reproductions of her work, lovingly printed on bright, dense paper, a reader like me becomes easily distracted away from the helpful and informative text of the book. Three long essays, a catalog, timeline, and bibliography invite the reader to various kind of commentary, both in historical fact and in considered opinions. Her personal story as woman, mother, and artist as well as her work deserve attention; this gorgeous volume is a wonderful way to give her work and life some of the attention they deserve.

-- wiredweird

The Stranger
$2.99
Orson Welles is at his best as a Nazi war criminal hiding out in a New England collegiate town. His maniacal obsession with clocks leads to his ultimate downfall. The acting is brilliant!!!

Reviewed by Kardia Williams