The Keeper of the Swans was an unusual story with a setting and H/H that did not really fit into the regency frame. It is, briefly, the story of a young woman from a good background who finds that the arranged marriage she is about to enter is unacceptable to her. Diana learns that her fiance is full of flaws that cause her to lose any esteem for him. She flees, precipitately, and nearly drowns in the Thames. Rescued by the hero, Romulus, she elects to pretend amnesia in order to stay with him and, ultimately learn more about both him and herself.

Romulus lives on a small island in the Thames and is a gamekeeper looking after the waterfowl in the immediate area to keep them safe from poachers. Rom is a man with A Past. There are secrets, allusions to madness and a whiff of a foreign background. Gradually we learn more of his sad background and heroic military past but always there is a little hint that Rom is not what he seems.

There are peripheral secondary characters, gypsies, suspicious villagers and poacher-villains who move the plot along but, in essence, this is a Lost Heir story which I had guessed in the first couple of chapters and, indeed, I figured out who early on.

The main surprise is the redemption of the original villain, the purportedly "nasty" fiance from whom Diana flees.

There is a somewhat mystical aspect to this story which I felt could have been set in any timeframe you care to mention. If you like fairy tales with happy endings where the players must suffer in order to triumph, then you will like this. It's quite sweet but the hero is damaged ehough to make him and his spiritual journey and recovery very poignant. It was not quite a keeper for me and I don't think I will want to read it again. But the author writes very well and her story line and island setting are satisfying and attractive.

I am a sucker for sentimental, touching romance. I really loved the setting, and the parts about the swans were unusual and interesting. The only thing that kind of spoiled the whole effect was that I found the abduction and incarceration of the hero to be too melodramatic for me(and I usually tolerate melodrama well!) It just didn't ring true for some reason. I felt that it was over-done. I do like the writing style of the writer, and will try some of her other books. I probably will keep this book, just because it is unusual, but is isn't one I would tend to re-read as often as some of my other "keeper" books.

This is the first book I have read by Ms. Butler and loved every word. Diana Exeley is very different from the mealy mouth missish types in so many books. Who couldn't love Romulus Perrin with his gentle strength. Her story is out of the ordinary, from the usual Regency and has some secondary characters that will surprise you. I highly recommend this book and hope to find more written by her. Loved her unexpected ending.

It's unusual for me to read chapters of a book out of order. Had I read this book from front to back, I would have angrily tossed it out when I hit chapters 3 and 4. The authors have not had the pleasure of grasping the virtue of selfishness. Instead, they occasionally apologize and appease. In these early chapters they recommend "unconditional positive regard" stating that it's "not selfish, nor egoistic" to have this attitude towards ourselves. This chapter is a philosophical junkyard. They ask why we admire a Mother Teresa and answer that it's because she sacrifices herself for others. They ask "Would you admire her if she sacrificed herself for something worthless?" and omit the possibility that she is not admirable because she lived a life of sacrifice by choice and encourages others to do likewise. The authors also invent the contradictory concept of the "unselfish I."
So heaven help me! Why would I recommend such a book? I recommend it because it is chock full of simple good tips - e.g., good study skills, identifying and pursuing healthy goals to bring you pleasure, keeping friendships fair - with a lovely undercurrent of egoism despite occasional nosedives. For example, "Cultural attitudes, including religious ones, seem to make rewarding oneself seem bad..." (Were it my book, I would omit the "seem to") - or "Do not make a virtue out of being a martyr." The mix of good and bad ideas in this book makes me wonder if one author was philosophically healthier than the other one. This book offers valuable thinking skills. I recommend skipping chapters 1-3. This is a good book to keep in your reference library. If you are having difficulty with a particular issue in your life, read the chapter on that. Some skills that are helpful include:
- "swat" the NATs (negative automatic thoughts)
- distant elephants (do not commit yourself to unimportant activities no matter how far ahead they are)
- focus on important but non-urgent activities, rather than urgent non-important activities
- avoid "pressurizing" words: "should, must, have to, ought" which drain motivation
- avoid avoidance - actively solve your problems rather than run from them
- reduce the "inside" load of stress by changing attitudes
- learn how to unpackage your fears
- motivate yourself by focusing on the personal benefits of your success

Great educational read. Stimulating. Straight forward and easy to read chapters. This book helped me through one of the worse times in my life.

I hope the authors know how many people they have helped with this book. Perhaps they can update it for the latest stresses that the accelerated information age and the post-September 11th world have brought.

As others have said, I wish I had read this book in my teenage years.

I enjoyed reading Brett Butler's autobiography and have read it quite a few times. It's a wonderful read about love for God and overcoming odds and tragedies. (I love the chapter of his first encounters with his future wife Eveline. It made me laugh out loud.)

An inspiring, touching story. I followed Brett's career ever since I first saw him play in Atlanta in 1982. His story is a glowing example of the power of our living God. Hopefully this book will bless you the way it has blessed me. I've read it four times now, and still enjoy it every time. Oh, I have the honor of saying a letter I wrote the day he was diagnosed is on page 218 of this book. God bless you, Brett.

"Hope" is an inspiring story of a man who was told in his early life he wouldn't make it in baseball. Mr. Butler proved that hard work and determination does indeed payoff. He is refreshingly honest about his shortcomings and his belief in Jesus Christ. His wife, Eveline, narrates a good portion of the book giving her views on their life together, with the trials and tribulations that goes with any marriage. Another title for this book could have been, "Winners never Quit". They are both just that, winners, only they're winning in the game of life.

Left for dead the USS. Indianapolis story. The book I read was called ?Left for Dead?. Pete Nelson wrote it with a preface by hunter Scott. This book is a true story about one of the biggest mistakes made in the NAVY. Lets start from the beginning; this story is about the boat the USS. Indianapolis called the indi for short. The indi was a proud flagship for the U.S. pacific fleet it had been through many important battles and won many medals for her crew. The indis next mission was so secret that even the captain of the vessel did not know what it was only what he was supposed to do the captains name was captain Macvay. What the indi was caring was the A-bomb it was to take it to the U.S. airstrip were it would be flown to drop on Japan. On the way pack to pearl harbor the India was hit by an I-58 sub torpedo well the indi sank after that and out of her 800 crew only 350 made it off the ship. The surviving crew survived in the shark-infested waters for 7 days with out food and water. When they were finally rescued there were only 50 people left. The captain was wrongly curt marceled because the NAVY wanted to hide the mistake it made even though the crow tried to clear his name they couldn?t Intel a boy named Hunter Scout did the India story for a history project did he find something to clear the captains name. You will have to read to find out what. I didn?t like the book because it was to slow for me.
NICK LAKE

This book is a very exciting journey. It kept me wanting to read on. I really felt as if I were a part of the adventure of the combat. It was a great thriller and at the same time a great lesson in history. It is a war time classic. Any one who enjoys an action war thriller or a good non-fiction book would absolutely love to read this. I have a hard time reading but found this kept my interest. I do have to say that the book starts out a bit slow, but towards the middle it speeds up into a fast pace adventure of the Japenese sending a torpedo into the front of a ship. Amercian soldiers were stranded in the middle of nowhere. I would say that my favorite part of this book is how they get themselves into more danger as they try to work their way back home. The days they are stranded are full of death, mysteries, murders and cannibalism. ...
This book was just over 200 pages with large font. Easy reading and a great book for adults and teens. I would not recommend this book to a younger child for it's graphic contents. I think that because of the war that is going on in Iraq right now that it made this book more interesting and more real to me. It also made me think about how horrible war is.
I think of how aweful it probably is out there for all those people fighting. So do yourself a favor and order this book online today. You won't be sorry.

I enjoyed this book and intend to recommend for purchase in my local high school library where I work. We need more high interest, lower reading level books to interest our young men. This will do it! Also, here's a true hero; someone who saw a "wrong" and worked to "right" it.

This book takes the six guitar strings that travel the length of your torso. Then it alternately plays on the fretboard of your intellect, strums your heart, and grabs your whammy bar.

Buy a copy for yourself. Then buy one for everyone you know who doesn't believe in the transformative powers of fiction; everyone you know who believes the novel is dead; and anyone who needs to have the focus of their worldview adjusted to sharpen the magic and blur the ordinary.

The other reviews on this page are well-put, but this novel is much more than regional work or a humorous look at the early 80s. What's it about? Everything. Mysticism, sex, and death. And it's hilarious. Because things are funny in direct proportion to their gravity. I can never teach a class on the American Novel again without somehow dealing with this book, and the sooner it's back in print, the better.

LLR (to use the author's own shorthand) is a book to be reread. It bursts with linguistic and literary trickery: a Finnegan's Wake for this generation. It swoops between characters and narrative devices with virtuousity, and leaves memory trails long after you have finished. Make no mistake, this is a difficult book to read. However since when does difficulty have anything to do with artistic merit, and this is a work of art. It evokes a now distant past of unforgotten history, though we may not wish to recall some of it. The Morrisons' are upwardly mobile, enlightened liberals (a dirty word now) who are targetted by all manner of evils. You should discover the plot yourself and in doing so discover perhaps the most talented of current writers: a Burgess like love of language; A Joycean eye for invention. Each character is complete, believable, and has their own voice: Lianne's stilted thought process; Laugh's self awareness; even the dog. Embedded in this murderous plot are sacred homilies: "...he could have touched if touch was touch was all...", touching personlities and a sense of conteporaneity. This is perhaps the great American novel, something which none of the great American novellists has yet produced. And it took a poet to do it.

The book covered just about what every A-fib patient has or will go through once diagnosed. It reads like a journal with dates and personal experiences but if one is looking for insight or guidance, it just isn't here. I think one could get the same information and arrive a similar conclusions by reading the heart disease summaries on the internet.

I've just completed reading My Heart, the Doctors and Me by E.A. Butler and am pleased to write this review. This book has been extremely helpful to me. While it covers the author's experiences with his own atrial fibrillation and is thoroughly researched, it also covers many, many other subjects concerning the heart. I believe every person who has any kind of palpitations, skipped beats, atrial or ventricular fibrillation should read this. My cardiologist originally alerted me to the availability of the book because he believes, as I do , that is a great assist to patients who have these problems. I also agree with International Heath News that is a " must read."

E.A. Butler's book is a great help to those of us with atrial fibrillation. Nothing is more authentic than an account written by someone who has "been there and done that". Particularly noteworthy is learning that most MD's are groping for answers on many aspects of the problem. Butler, to his credit, is not critical of the cardiologists who just don't have the empirical evidence on which to support clear answers to the many questions presented by A-Fib. Perhaps Butler can work on a sequel with more info for those of us full-timers with chronic A-Fib. To repeat, I highly recommend the book.

This book gave helpful perspectives regarding doctor-patient communication, but was not very enlightening. The problem might be that it was written from the perspective that the doctor is always correct, and the patient is always some poor sap who needs to be enlightened and trained as you would a child. I don't see this book awakening the human within some budding physician and transforming the physician into some effective communicator. The worst part was how many pages it took to convey helpful information.

I gave it more than one star because it does have good strategies in it, and I believe reading it would be better than reading nothing.

Helping patients change health-related behavior is a universal challenge for health care providers. In this extremely practical book, Rollnick and colleagues present a method for helping patients change based on the principles and "spirit" of Motivational Interviewing.

After presenting the basic concepts, each chapter focuses on a different task in the consultation process, from building rapport and setting an agenda to increasing motivation for change while minimizing resistance. The techniques presented are intended for use in brief consultations, but may be adapted for more extended encounters. Numerous clinical examples illustrating applications in diverse settings (and even some showing how NOT to do it) bring each strategy to life. Always respectful of the busy practitioner, the authors suggest ways for you to benefit from the book even if you have just a few hours to spend with it, and they encourage "creative adaptation" rather than "slavish adoption" of their approach.

If you want to become better at helping people change health-related behavior, and are new to a Stages of Change or Motivational Interviewing-based approach, this is a great place to start. If you have some experience with Motivational Interviewing, you will find a simplified model, a fresh take on familiar strategies, and probably some new ideas too.

A simple, easy, and yet deep, thought-provoking book. ONLY ONE of this kind.

I am tring hard to implement some of their methods in Japan.

Admittedly, this cookbook is not always for the novice. It doesn't tell you how long to cook a roast, for instance. However, if you are into a reenactment hobby (e.g. SCA), definitely get this book and do not get Fabulous Feasts. This book actually gives the source of each recipe so that you can do your own redacting. One of the better easily accessible sources for planning a feast.

This book has some good background info, and the recipes are tested, and they work well. I used the roasted carrot recipe for a feast put on by a local group. Other recipes that I have tried in here have worked good as well. This is one to add to your feast book collection.

This was my very first medieval-food book. To my amazement, it actually works well as a "mundane" cookbook too. The recipes are presented with the primary source they come from first (translated if the source isn't in at least somewhat-recognizable English), with a redaction following.

Not all the redactions are easy to work with, and sometimes the results are.. well.. uneven (watch out for the sage sauce one that calls for chopped boiled eggs). I suspect that three people making the same recipe would come out with three different dishes. That said, some recipes are just mouthwatering -- a thickened wine sauce for meats went over well at one feast I helped with, and most of the vegetable recipes are tasty and easy to prepare.

A decent bibliography is included with the work, as well as an analysis of period spices and spice mixes. I'd recommend this to anybody interested in medieval cooking -- it dispels a lot of myths and presents a number of dishes that prove that we haven't changed all that much.

As one of the first people to read this book before it went to print (Thanks Marsha!), I have to say it was great! Offering basic common sense advice from someone who has been there, done that. My younger brother is getting married this year & he'll be getting a copy....thank you Marsha for a wonderful book & everything you have done to further the quality of life for our military families. When's the sequel coming out?!

Ancient Words is the healthiest dose of humor and realism for marriage that I have seen in a long time. It's a stark contrast to the self-importance and seriousness of other self-help books, and it comes from a woman with long experience in the hardships of marriage, especially to a military man. Her emphasis on commitment and friendship in a marriage is particularly refreshing, since modern pop-culture wrongly has us so focused on wild romance and sex as the keys to marriage. I recommend this book especially to anyone who has just gotten married.

Obviously somone in Puerto Rico has a personal bone to pick with the author because this book just tells it like it is. I have read it from cover to cover and recommend that all military families add this book to their libraries. Upon return from deployment this book should be mandatory reading for all military members and their spouses.

East to the Dawn is very well-researched, going to many primary sources for information, but not very well-written. There are many cases in which I was aggravated by Butler's choice of words or annoying editorializing.

However, any book about Amelia Earhart which features so many of her own words cannot possibly fail. Her letters, remarks, interviews burst out of the text full of personality, wit, and intelligence. It is no less than shocking how completely contemporary seems, and how inspiring she could be. We can only hope that in the future there are other perfect marriages of a remarkable person and remarkable circumstance, for Amelia Earhart and the early days of aviation were made for each other. Though somewhat clumsily, this book gets this across and for that it is very much worth reading.

This was a very interesting and informative book.
I feel like it really let me know Amelia.
Only thing I did not like about it was that the begining was
a little slow. A little too much time spent on her ancestors.

I grew up hearing bits and pieces about Amelia Earhart. There was always the slight inference that she may have been a lesbian and the stories about her possible capture by the Japanese. I found EAST TO THE DAWN illuminating and informative. The author makes Amelia much more of a feminist and political person than I had ever imagined. For example, I did not know about her friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt. But Amelia's friendship with Nancy Cook and Lorena Hitchock and involvment in the Val Kil project made me think that there may have been some validity to the rumors about her life style. It's also interesting how much the government did for her on her flights. The possible capture by the Japanese seems to me looking back in retrospect that it could be a form of very suttle anti Japanese propaganda. One of the previous reviewers commented that EAST TO THE DAWN finds no fault with Amelia - she was perfect in every way. Thinking about the book in retrospect, there is a lot of validity to that statement. But all in all the book gives a good view of women and their roles in society in the 1920's and 30's. It also give a whole new side of Amelia. As a result of this book I want to read more about Amelia. The author's conclusion that Amelia became bigger in death than she may have been in life is also valid but Amelia is one of those American icons that will live on and on because she died so young and under strange circumstances.