Related Vacation Book Subjects:
Florida
More Pages: Milton Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54
More Pages: Milton Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54
Books to read if you're planning a vacation in "Milton", sorted by average review score:
Lying Wonders: A Sheriff Milt Kovak Mystery
Published in Hardcover by St. Martin's Minotaur (January, 2003)
Average review score: 
Murder at "The Holy Temple of the Seven Trumpets"
exciting police proceduralHis former lover Laura Marshall hysterically demands that Prophesy County, Oklahoma Sheriff save her teenage son Trent from the Seven Trumpets religious community that she swears kidnapped him. Though he prefers distance from Laura, Milt reluctantly follows up on her complaint and quickly learns that Trent's girlfriend Amanda Nederwald has failed to come home either.
Milt visits the Seven Trumpets estate, but before he sees anyone, he finds the corpse of a young female that is later verified is Amanda. Trent remains missing. Milt visits the church where he notices that most of the flock consists of pregnant women. His interview with the founder Brother Grigsby goes well, but also leaves Milt feeling a bit creepy. He returns with his wife, psychiatrist Dr. Jean McDonnell, so she can provide him with a quick assessment of Grigsby. As Milt and his department investigate the homicide and missing boyfriend, his niece becomes a recruitment target of the Seven Trumpets.
LYING WONDERS is an exciting police procedural that readers will enjoy due to the clever interweaving of the overflow of Milt's past personal life into the murder investigation. The story line never slows down even when the hero's sister and niece go at it. Milt is a strong character that makes the rest of the cast seems real because he comes across as a person with complex relationships. Though his sarcastic behavior in his second encounter with Grigsby seems out of character for the calm sheriff, Susan Rogers Cooper provides a delightful who-done-it.
Harriet Klausner
Milton Unbound : Controversy and Reinterpretation
Published in Hardcover by Cambridge University Press (April, 1996)
Average review score:
Confusion and ErrorIn attempting to "re-invent" John Milton, Rumrich actually commits some of the same mistakes he accuses other critics of making. In refuting Milton's supposed Oedipal complex he re-analyzes Milton to be suffering from some sort of Maternal womb envy (to over simplify the argument). Rumrich claims that critics who argue that Milton suffers from an Oedipal complex are actually revealing more about themselves than about the poet -- so why would this theory not in turn apply to Rumrich himself? His idea that Milton desired to be some sort of hermaphrodite was interesting, but somewhat far-fetched. The digression Rumrich goes on in discussing the similarity between Newton's and Milton's religious beliefs is so completely unintrinsic to the argument he's attempting to make (that Milton held unorthodox religious beliefs) that it becomes quite perplexing as to why he's spending so much time on the views of Sir Isaac. So what if he and Milton shared this belief? And the concluding chapter on Chaos is quite fitting, as this book is a complex and confused amalgamation of ideas that fails to coalesce into any real coherence. Perhaps Rumrich's biggest mistake is stating that Paradise Lost reveals that God is Chaos. Simply b/c chaos is the womb of God and is essential to his existence, does not imply that Milton was saying God is chaos. Rumrich's illustration of Milton's disbelief in the trinity should be applied here: God the son is not the same or even equal to God the father. Duh. Extend Milton's reasoning here to refute your claim.
But all this being said, the book is certainly thought prevoking, and it is very, very important to realize that Milton was not simply a supporter of the standard religious dogma. He was a unique, and complex thinker, who examined his beliefs on almost every level.
But all this being said, the book is certainly thought prevoking, and it is very, very important to realize that Milton was not simply a supporter of the standard religious dogma. He was a unique, and complex thinker, who examined his beliefs on almost every level.
Virginia productI was a friend of John Rumrich's as a graduate student at the University of Virginia. He is a genius and this book explains why. He is now a distinguished Milton scholar at the University of Texas, and this book is the culmination of his scholarly work. A must for any lover of Milton, or great scholarship for that matter.
Nize Baby (Classics of Modern American Humor Series)
Published in Hardcover by AMS Press (September, 2003)
Average review score:
Very funny,sometimes poigniant stories of tenement lifeA collection of newspaper colmns written in the early 20th century that often seem to make no sense at all until read aloud. Teeming with insights of everyday life under almost poverty conditions, these stories have a natural rhythm that pullyou along as you read aloud....GREAT GREAT FUNNY BOOK THAT HAD ME WITH TEARS IN MY EYES WHEN i THOUGHT OF IT LATER.
Is Yiddish Chokes Witt Dialect Yet. Don't Esk!Sotch nize book Mr. Gross he wrote, witt de chokes and witt de cartunz. It giffs witt stories from all de pipple in de tenements: witt Mrs. Feitelbaum witt Looy, dot dope, witt Isidore (SMACK!) Is also witt de ferry storiz from Nize Baby itting opp all de oatmill!
(Gross was one of the most popular cartoonists and humorists of his day. This old book is funny stuff from a time when dialect humor was funnier than it is now! Orig. pub'd by Grosset & Dunlap, 1926.)
Phoenix: Therapeutic Patterns of Milton H. Erickson
Published in Paperback by Meta Publications (August, 1981)
Average review score:
Non-hypnotic patterns of MiltonMilton doesn't put people into a trance all the time, many times he just uses it ability to establish rapport and asks the client to do something. Not much about trance, but covers the non-hypnotic part of Erickson.
Instructional and Fun to ReadThe book examines patterns in Dr. Erickson's creation, organization, and utilization of therapeutic interventions. What makes these patterns valuable is that they work - if you learn and use them you will be able to reproduce in your own therapeutic work many of the seemingly magical outcomes that are characteristic of Erickson's work.
Reliability-Based Design in Civil Engineering
Published in Paperback by Dover Pubns (March, 1997)
Average review score:
A good treatment of the mathematics of reliability.This text book is well written, with lots of example problems. How practical its application remains doubltful, but a good understanding of the basics is key. This book provides the basics.
Only reference for Point Estimate MethodsThis book fills a useful gap for those working in the fields of structural reliability, probabilistic design and reliability-based design optimization. There has been a lot of interest in Point Estimate Methods which are useul in developing probabilistic models without computing gradients of your response function. This book is the only open-source reference I could find on that subject - and even without that topic, it's still worth the price.
Achievements of the Left Hand: Essays on the Prose of John Milton.
Published in Hardcover by Univ. of Massachusetts Press (March, 1974)
Average review score:
Achievements of the Left HandCo-edited by John T. Shawcross, whose synopses of the arguments and critical and bibliographical history of Milton's prose works in the Appendix would alone make it a valuable addition to any reader's shelf, this book contains a collection of essays by some of the most prominent scholars of the genre (including Profs. Shawcross and Lieb). It is a "must read" for anyone interested in Miltonic thought, and though out of print, will be worth the effort to locate.
American Cultural Patterns: A Cross-Cultural Perspective
Published in Paperback by Intercultural Press (August, 1991)
Average review score:
Learning about the American way of thinkingI read this book as part of a class I took called socio-cultural perspectives on language and found this book very interesting and insightful. I teach German at an American university and since I am not American it is important to have an understanding of American culture. A lack of understanding can lead to miscommunications and frustrations both on part of the learner as well as the instructor. Though American Cultural Patterns is somewhat philosophical in its approach, it remains a very readable book with numerous comparisons between American and other cultures which are very helpful. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing more about American culture, be it for professional or personal purposes.
And the War Came
Published in Hardcover by Greenwood Press Reprint (August, 1980)
Average review score:
Readable, even-handed and enlighteningStampp presents an even-handed and readable narrative of the events in the North that led up to the Civil War: while not "pro-South," he makes clear that there were a number of motives on the Northern side, quite aside from any antipathy towards slavery, which caused the North to push the nation into war. Among the interesting tidbits in the book is an explanation of why the issue of slavery's expansion into the territories was so hot even though the remaining territories were clearly inhospitable to slavery (answer: both North and South viewed it as America's Manifest Destiny to continue expanding southward into Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean), and the curious story of how Major Anderson, the North's "hero" of Fort Sumter was actually pro-secession and tried heroically to avoid Sumter's becoming the spark that ignited Civil War. It is interesting to compare Stampp's book to Charles Adams' recent When In the Course of Human Events; also worth perusing is Jeff Hummel's Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men.
Andrew Jackson: And His America
Published in School & Library Binding by Franklin Watts, Incorporated (September, 1993)
Average review score:
WHO IS THE OLD MAN ON THE $20 BILL?Written by a distinquished popular historian, this critical biography of the seventh United States President traces Jackson's dramatic rise to power from poverty. Hailed as the "greatest man of the age" by admirers and attacked as "King Andrew the First" by critics, Jackson dramatically expanded the presidency's powers and dominated American politics for two decades. After defeating the British at the Battle of New Orleans and conquering the Creek Indians, Major General Jackson became a national hero. Jackson soon organized what became the modern Democratic Party to become President, vigorously ruled as President, and wiped out the Federal debt. Synthesizing conflicting perspectives on this charismatic populist leader, this well-written book also examines promotion of slavery, the forced relocation of Indians against a Supreme Court decision, and expansionist policies. Excellent annotated source notes for people interested in further pursuing this fascinating era in American history.
Alone Together: Law and the Meanings of Marriage
Published in Hardcover by Oxford University Press (February, 1999)
Susan Rogers Cooper, a mystery writer who lives in Austin, Texas, is the author of Funny as a Dead Comic and Funny as a Dead Relative.
Lying Wonders is the eighth novel in her Milt Kovak Series, which includes Doctors and Lawyers and Such, Chasing Away the Devil, and Dead Moon Rising.
Milt Kovak, "looking the barrel of sixty right in the eye," is the high sheri
ff of Prophesy County, Oklahoma. He and his new wife, Dr. Jean McDonnell, a psychiatrist at Long Branch Memorial Hospital, are the proud parents of a toddler called Johnny Mac.
The Kovak's small-town life is relatively quiet until Milt finds the corpse of Amanda Nederwald, 18, at the "retreat" of a religious sect called The Seven Trumpets. The girl was lying beneath a mesquite tree, her long blond hair entwined on the hooklike feet of a vulture.
The headquarters of this weird cult in situated in the northwest corner of Prophesy County (page 11). Or is it in the county's northeast corner (page 15)?
Basically, the Seven Trumpets is a mishmash of pseudo-Eastern religions, a little Judaism, some Christianity, and a whole lot of Star Trek.
The self-appointed prophet, guru, and spiritual leader of The Holy Temple of Seven Trumpets is one "Brother Grigsby," a sleazy con man "as slimy as a squashed bug."
Revered by his gullible female acolytes as "The Source" and "The Light," Brother Grigsby is dedicated to disseminating the seed of Gospel Truth and populating the New Age that is dawning."Religion," muses Sheriff Kovak, "is a tricky business."
Amanda's boyfriend, Trent Johnson Marshall, also 18, who was with girl when she disappeared, has vanished. Assisted by his four deputies--Emmett Hopkins and Dalton Pettigrew (the day squad) and Jasmine Bodine and Hank Dobbins (the night squad)--Milt not only has to find Trent and identify the killer, but must also save his niece from the same fate.
The best feature of this novel is Sheriff Milt Kovak, a down-to-earth and likable character. Although Milt is not exactly a Sherlock Holmes, his dedicated pursuit of justice ingratiates him to readers. The author also paints a convincing picture of small-town politics.
Roy E. Perry