Another great book that seems to have slipped thru the cracks (or is being hidden by some possibly selfish magicians ) Is "Me, My Cards, & I " by John Carey. It seems as if great card magic just flows from his mind to his hands and eventually to print (both physical books and e-books). For now, there is a great offer when you buy direct from John @ http://me-my-cards-and-i.co.uk/ (full Contents are listed if you scroll down and click on them) Just order the book and receive the e-book versions of both "The Carey Files vol 1"(61 effects) and "Minimalistica" (60 effects) (I know for a fact the best price I found for those two e-books as a bundle) is $40 at https://trickshop.com/john-carey-bundle.html (contents and sample vids are available too for each e-book).

The book itself is priced on the site with shipping included based on where you live in the world. (The e-books will be emailed to you as PDFs). When you consider the amount of content in the 3 books, this is an absolute steal. Grab it now, while it lasts.

Me, My Cards, & I is a very nice looking book (if you judge a book by it's cover) with no dust jacket so the great artwork can just be displayed. The book is smaller than a lot on my shelf (8 1/2" X 6") and 150 pgs long, and still contains 70+ items. That does not include the massive amount of items in the 2 extra e-books.

The book is VERY well written, totally down to the point leaving room for more effects by not bulking up the book with long winded explanations of moves you should already know. Instead of illustrations, they opted for B&W photos that do a great job and only use them when needed. There were no photos in the first 21 pages covering 9 items (6 routines, a holdout, a force and a "random thought"). It actually reads so well, I understood every move in every effect and only noticed the lack of "Pictures" when I finally saw one. That is pretty good when you can teach / describe how to do an effect well with only words.

I just got it today in the mail and read roughly half so far. I got my e-books via e-mail about a week ago and have been busy enough with them that I was not even worried how long overseas post would take (less than a week actually, in my case). So far I see a pattern. They are all workers and quite frankly, I could see myself doing any or all at some point in the future. All said, my $64.45 USD (The book, the two e-books and overseas shipping) was money very well spent. Just doing some quick math - 191 items (aprox) divided by $64.45 = aprox 34 cents per item.

As I mentioned earlier, It is VERY well written and reads well. Everything, so far, with one exception, I was able to get exactly how the routine works and plays out without having to re-read to catch something I missed. This is really the kind of magic book I really "enjoy" reading. Much like John Bannon's books.

Highly recommended. Grab your today while there is still some in John's possession (this is the only place that I saw offering the two e-books in addition). However, The book certainly stands on it's own and is worth the price for the book alone.

My first impressions of the book have held true throughout the rest of the book. I obviously will need to re-read now with "cards in hand" (I like to read books once without being distracted with the cards). These truly are real workers with many simple plots that your spectator will easily follow and each effect is within the grasp of any beginner, intermediate or seasoned performer. I found several that to me have a "homey" feel to them and would easily fit into an intimate setting as well as perfect for small groups while table hopping.

I plan on putting one or two effects to the test tonight at my magic club meeting. Also, anyone else that has the book, feel free to post thoughts on some of your favorite routines from the book. It may take me a bit to find my own "favorites" as I just got my copy.