I have to admit to being fairly disappointed with this Elizabeth Mansfield romance. Miscalculation is not up to EM's usual standard - previous EM books that I have read have been excellent. It was a real struggle to even finish the book.

The first problem that I found with Miscalculations was that Luke Hammond was just so immature. Good looks and boyish charm will only go so far and, unfortunately for Miscalculations, not enough for me to like this character or even sympathise with him. I can understand when a gambler is addicted to gambling, and is sure that the next bet will recoup any losses made, but Luke's only motivation was to beat Sir Rodney Moncton. This in itself was really quite pathetic. There was really no motivation there to understand why Luke even let Moncton affect him in this manner. There was no real character to Luke, other than the fact that he continuously exceeded his allowance. The character and persona of Luke seemed to be that of an 18 year old, an immature young man with no thought to his future and no real idea on the realities of life. Simply put he wasn't manly enough for me - more like a Leonardo di Caprio when he could have been a Viggo Mortensen or a Sean Bean.

The second problem that I found with Miscalculations was with Jane Douglas. I just couldn't stand her. A sanctimonious prig if there ever was one!!!

The final issue that I have with Miscalculations was the lack of romance between Jane and Luke. The was very little passion and very little chemistry between them. Certainly no real motivation for them to even get together.

I finally finished Miscalculations, and ended up wishing that I hadn't even started. Definitely not one to class as a Keeper.

Jane Douglas reluctantly agrees to help her employer's wastrel son learn to manage his inheritance. The son, equally reluctant to receive advice from a woman, tries to solve his own problems by way of foolish wagers that only get him deeper in debt. As they get to know each other, a romance develops between Jane and Lucien. But how can a logical, intelligent woman like Jane ally herself to a "degenerate" aristocrat? Or is she simply being naive and prudish and altogether too particular?

My primary criticism is the lack of depth of the secondary characters and the reliance on the "love at first sight" that just didn't seem convincing to me. But aside from this flaw, I found this book very enjoyable. It's nice to see a strong, intelligent woman making her own decisions in spite of the prevailing societal prejudice of the time, and a hero who--although far from being a wimp--is willing to grow and mature under her guidance.

Miscalculations

What an apt title for a book about a female mathematical wizard, and the various turmoils in which she finds herself, usually as a result of a miscalculation--either hers or that of someone else.

Jane Douglas, for some reason, demonstrated a decidedly mathematical bent at a very early age, thoroughly disconcerting her parents. After the premature death of her father, Jane is compelled to be the 'man of the house,' carefully tending the small inheritance, to care for her now-invalidish mother and younger sister. To supplement this small amount of money, she finds work as the secretary/companion/financial adviser to Lady Kettering, at the local castle.

Lady Kettering has one son, whose own inheritance was left him in a sort of 'spendthrift' trust--Luke may not have the entirety until his thirty-fifth birthday, unless he first demonstrates to his mother than he can properly appreciate his financial situation. As a typical member of the ton, of course, he is subject to frequent wagers, especially against Lord Moncton, who has been observed to cheat. And then there's Luke's ladybird, and the upkeep on his horses and townhouse . . .

When Lady Kettering decides that just what Luke needs is a new 'man-of-business', and that this new 'man' will be none other than Jane, she has no idea what she has wrought! Suffice it to say that 'all's well that ends well' with happy endings all around, at least for the good guys.

Some of the behavior of Jane or other characters may seem a bit outré to readers who are devoted to the Regency genre, but then, there have always been those persons who specialized in non-conformity. As much of a stickler as I am, I didn't find this to be all *that* outlandish. It's another good solid example of the craft of Elizabeth Mansfield, except that it's new--rather than a reissue. Hurrah for that, I say!

I am an introductory student in physics and our techer told us to buy this book since he thought it was a very good book.

I don't agree.

The book contains a lot of interesting material, but has few examples which can tell you how to use the new knowledge. The examples in the book is either very easy or hard to understand beacuse they don't tell you how they came up with the equation they use so solve the problem.

Don't buy this book. Buy University Physics instead. Much better

I am currently taking a course in which this text is our primary learning manual. Relative to physics textbooks in general, it went into great detail concerning fairly advanced topics. However, it did not do a good enough job of laying down the fundamental principles of physics, which makes it more difficult to comprehend the more involved topics. The book also lacks a glossary and a comprehensive index. The examples are either too complex or too simplistic, and I have been forced to use several other books as auxiliary materials. If you are a physics instructor, I implore you, please DO NOT USE this text in an introductory course, unless the primary goal of your class is to drive away students from the study of physics, ranting madly about.

A great book, I just love it!

I bought this book thinking that this was the updated cookbook classic published by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), in conjunction with the American Dietetic Association. It is not. This cookbook does not contain ANY Exchange information about the recipes. As a newly diagnosed diabetic, I was very disappointed in this book. It does have 92 pages of recipes with beautiful photographs of food. In the beginning of the book, there are tips for reducing fat and sugar in general food preparation. However, these tips would not help me to overcome the problem with many of the recipes in this book. That is, many of the receipes in this book contain way too much fat. Given the information in this book, I could not modify the recipes to fit into my ADA exchange diet.

The American Diabetes Association DIABETES COOKBOOK is a thin volume with a few tasty recipes and many more that don't particularly appeal to me as I seldom eat pasta, rice, or polenta. Unlike some other "recipe" books I've encountered recently, every page of the ADA cookbook is printed in bright colors and on glossy paper. You can salivate to your heart's content over the photographs of the prepared dishes on every other page. Whether you can duplicate the look of these prepared dishes depends on your cooking skills. Whether you will like them depends on your taste. The recipes include an assortment of ways to combine spices and vegetables, so if your vegetable menu is growing stale you might find a goodie or two here.

I found a few good recipes including one for "Spicy Lentil Soup' that includes grated fresh ginger and canned coconut milk. However, a serving contains 6 grams of protein and 22 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of fat, so I use powdered milk to reduce the carbohydrate count and up the protein count. Of course it tastes a bit different, but since I never put milk of any sort in my lentils before I still found an interesting way to make a change. I love eggplant and the recipe for "Eggplant Parmigiana" using eggplant, tomatoes and fresh herbs is quite good--and a good Italian dish without pasta and thus low in carbohydrates.

Why scale back the carbohydrates? Well, I am using THE INSULIN-RESISTANCE DIET by Hart and Grossman, and these authors recommend consuming fewer carbohydrates (not eliminating them, just reducing them). Since I am feeling better and actually beginning to drop a few pounds, it seems the lower carbohydrate approach works for me. Books on diabetes and insulin resistance differ, so in the end you will probably have to experiment to see what works for you.

I have been so busy reading. Sorry I didn't rate sooner.

This book is disappointing. The title IS misleading.
This is NOT a COMPLETE GUIDE to improving eyesight.
The author is a Bates practicioner and gives you alot of theory and opinion until page 104. In Chapter 8 first paragraph the author even agrees with me by saying " This is not a 'how to' book. A book can explain an idea, but practical skills need to be learned in practice. A book will tell you what, and to some extent why, but only a teacher can show you how."

Any descriptions of "the Bates Method" are just an outline. This book DOES NOT teach you how to properly use the method and should not have been called a COMPLETE GUIDE.
The outline of the Bates exercises are in Chapter 8 and only 27 pages long in the 164 page book.
BE WARNED, DO NOT BUY THIS ONE. Get it from the library like I did if you really want to look but he pushes being TAUGHT by a Bates teacher more than anything else.

Garbage!

This book purports to be a complete guide to improving your eyesight, but turns out to be little more than a commercial for practicioners of the Bates method. The author is one of these, and gives some cases where he was successful, but there is little info of practical use in improving your eyesight by exercises and whatever mental shenanigans the author discusses. If you are looking for the actual methods to apply yourself to improve your own eyesight, look elsewhere.

This is an excellent introductory text to the Bates Method. The author, Peter Mansfield, goes over the behavior of the eye and various visual problems (a pretty standard practice in Bates books), then he goes over what the Bates Method is and isn't.
The previous reviewer said that this book does not offer practical "exercises" and "mental shananigans". But that reviewer may need to read the text more thoughtfully, for I think the author makes a good attempt at dispelling wrong ideas the reader is likely to have about what to expect from this book, a Bates teacher, or the Bates Method in general. I recommend this book to people new to the Bates Method, as people too often approach it completely wrong.

A couple quotes from the book:

"This is not a 'how to' book. A book can explain an idea, but practical skills need to be learned in practice."

"We have to learn a different way of thinking, a process that may take a little time, for the simple reason that if our thinking were right we would have nothing to learn."

This book is a sorry disappointment coming from a talented authoress like Miss Aiken. The lpot is not true to Miss Austen at all, and not a whit of it leads to the plot, structure, theme, language or depth of "Mansfiedl Park". And like all Janeites out ther, let me point out that the youngest Miss Ward's first name is not Harriet (Hatty); it's actually Frances (Fanny). Our Heroine in "Mansfield Park" is Fanny Price, and she is the eldest daughter, and in true Jane Austen fashion, the eldest daughters and sons are usually named for the parents. A disappointemnt indeed, a far cry from what Miss Austen conceptualised.

I started out thinking I was in for yet another jewel along the lines of "Jane Fairfax" and "Mansfield Revisited." Aiken certainly starts off in that vein, but halfway thru, the plot turns ridiculous. Hatty became so 'Dickens-like' in her cheerful suffering that I wanted to gag, and the antagonists were also crosses between those found in Bronte and Dickens and not Austen-like at all. Aiken seemed to abandon wit and good humor for pathos and melo-drama. I hope she will not continue on this vein in her future Austen ventures. Aiken is VERY gifted and readable, so it is easy to forgive her for "The Youngest Miss Ward."

I found this latest book of Joan Aiken's to be a very enjoyable one, with many references to characters and events in Mansfield Park, and an excellent portrayal of the early nineteenth century. For the entire first half or more I was quite caught up in the heroine's life and that of the whole cast of unusual characters, many of which seem to be right out of an Austin novel. It was with some chagrin when I realized, toward the end, that Hattie (the youngest Miss Ward of the title), had slipped into the "Goody Goody" mode, and was becoming somewhat insipid. I mean, really, she goes around solving everyone's problems, and taking all kinds of abuse with never a frown, but is always cheerful and helpful to a fault. The other characters have also fallen into rather neat groups of villians and good guys. However, this would not really have bother me, had the ending not been as it was. I don't wish to give anything away, so I won't comment on the obvious flaws and lack of continuity in many of the storylines and characters. However, some may not be as troubled by the ending or the character of the heroine , and, if interested in this period of history, will certainly enjoy reading The Youngest Miss Ward.

I had heard good things about this book but was left frustrated. Given the march of game theory over the past 15 years or so, I would have expected this to underpin the book's very word - but not a bit of it! Despite a nice section on auctions, the author tries to emulate existing texts (including previous editions of his own book) and does not take into account current developments in microeconomic theory. My other gripe is the price of the book. I am still hunting for a suitable text.

This book is not easy reading. Do economists live in another world? I read a paragraph to my wife, an English school teacher, and she said that it was very poor English. The author and the school were he teaches, is very prestigious.

This book has undergone a major revision since the 4th edition. The authors have done a good job of explaining basic economic principles and then applying them to the business world. New chapters on auctions and incentive schemes are both informative and timely. This is a must reading for those who think economic principles are just for the classroom. Not only do the authors show how the principles are applied (through examples from the business press), they also concisely explain them.

A valuable book for both practitioners and students.

I have rarely read a regency book where the story is so poorly done. Our main female character, Lucy, is apparently so beautiful that the marked defects of her characters, she hits people, yells at people, is rude, blames others for everything even when it is obvious it is her own fault, that it is wondered at that Percy, our "hero", falls in love with her at all. Outside of her face, there was not one redeeming quality about Lucy. Percey, while homely, is a very nice man, who Lucy ends up caring for but why would he care for her? There was not one scene in the book where they have any interaction that would lend itself to love. The book is is not a plus for women if all they need to be is beautiful. I mean, she hits Percy and he just smiles like a simpleton! Don't waste your time on this book.

[...]This book is a keeper. Just imagine Meg Ryan as the heroine who is a sharp-tongued and fiery-tempered young beauty engaged in a battle of wits with Tom Hanks, the sweet-tempered and good-humored hero and you've got this comedy of love.

Lucienne met Lord Perry Wittenden when their carriages collided and her carriage was all but destroyed. She lashed out at him though the accident was through no fault of his. Later, he published a humorous account of the accident in which she was depicted as a 'shrew'. This was not to be borne! He became her avowed enemy. Naturally, at their every encounter,conflicts ensued. There was sparring and choas. Lord Perry enjoyed himself immensely by baiting the wilful, spoilt young lady. Unknowingly, he had fallen for this captivating beauty. How they both realized their feelings for each other made most interesting reading. This is one of Elizabeth Mansfield's best. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and strongly recommend it to all Regency romance lovers.Don't miss it.

It's clear by now that there's no real medical basis for neonatal circumcision. One would hope in a book of this bulk (and price) to gain sharper insight into where the practice came from and why it has been so tenacious. Unfortunately the authors' interests as crusaders against mutilation turn this into a very large tract.

"The definitive work on the subject has just been published, and its a long, long time overdue. The first couple of sentences says it all. I couldn't have summed it up better myself. 'In those countries where circumcision is an accepted part of life, perfectly rational, intelligent and well-meaning adults believe that they have the right to cut off parts of their childrens' sexual organs!' What else do you think you have the right to cut off your child?" Dr Dean Edell, The Dean Edell Show, KGO, San Francisco

After having this book (1st ed.) on my shelf for several years, I am compelled to write a review. This book seldom provides answers to any of my NT questions. Recently, after installing a remote disk drive, I encountered a STOP error (fatal error) upon startup. The error message said something about an IRQ problem. The only mention of IRQ in the book's index refers to a single paragraph in the glossary. There was nothing on errors, debugging, system errors, dump files, log files ... anything that would help me understand the problem. This has been my experience every time I open this book. It more likely to infuriate than to inform. However, at nearly 900 pages it does make a good bookend.

I've used this book over the years with enthusiasm. Even though it is somewhat out of date, Norton's books, as always, make it easy to understand what he has to say.

There should be a special corner of Hades for publishers who foist such a piece of junk on the public. It consists of 318 separate sheets of (unnecessarily heavy and coated) paper which are brushed with glue on one edge, then slipped into the jacket. This is touted as a reference book. As such, it should last through several years of serious page flipping. No Way! It starts falling apart after several weeks, and you are left with 318 separate sheets of paper.

This book was easy to follow and more helpful than any expensive computer class! If I had a question, I check the index and was referred to the appropriate chapter - I always found an answer to my problem!!

I can't wait for the next book to come out!!