This slim book is ideal for busy administrators interested in improving education. Key ideas based on decades of research into Learning Styles and inventory tools are presented very succintly. Low and average achievers make a greater improvement in standardized achievement test scores when their learning styles are matched, esp. through tactile, kinesthetic and global styles. Different alternatives for developing a Learning Style Program are proposed: workshops, self-teaching team, learning styles committee, hire consultants or a development team. Provision of matching resources will be an important next-step. There is a brief introduction to redesigning classrooms and teaching strategies. The practical questions that open-minded and dynamic decision-makers have to face are not no longer whether, but how they can find the physical, financial and personnel resources to implement such a daunting programme through viable, gradual and effective processes.

This is an excellent "how-to" guide for implementing learning styles in your school or system. Based on the Dunn and Dunn model the book covers the basics of learning style theory and how to take the first steps. Excellent information on re-designing the classroom and personalizing learning. This is a great resource for staff development.

In 1923, a finally married Daisy Fletcher (nee Dalrymple) accedes to her pushy mother's demands that the family spend Christmas at Brockdene, a Cornish estate owned by Lord Westmoor because she is writing an article on the holdings. Accompanying the Dalrymple females for the holidays is Daisy's husband, Scotland Yard Inspector Alec. At Brockdene, they find the Earl does not live there, but the poor side of the extended family, three generations of Norvilles do.

Daisy realizes that the manor contains several angry residents. The matriarch is Susannah Norville, whose husband Albert drowned fifty years ago before she arrived from India with their two sons. Albert's wealthy family rejected her verbal claim as his widow as spurious. Her oldest son Victor returns from to India accompanied by Reverend Calloway, who claims he wed Albert and Susannah. He also has documented proof to his assertion that alters the line of succession to the earldom. However, someone murders the Reverend. Alec contains the crime scene and sends for his team to help investigate. Daisy makes inquiries too, but the killer willingly will murder again.

Daisy and her mother are fun characters who turn this combo amateur sleuth-police procedural into a lighthearted historical romp. The amusing story line becomes a bit jumbled (keep a family tree or two handy) that leads to some confusion as to who's who and whom belongs to who (this homicide occurs before Abbott and Costello). Fans of a buoyant easygoing who-Dunn-it that never takes itself serious will want to read MISTLETOE AND MURDER.

Harriet Klausner

A semi-deserted family estate in the middle of a region rich in smuggler lore, that also boasts of having it's own fair share of ghosts and secret passages, stories of missing treasure, and that is currently home to a family of poor relations -- these are just some of the ingredients that Carola Dunn has used to whip up the latest Daisy Dalrymple murder mystery. Does she deliver? I thought so. "Mistletoe and Murder" turned out to be a rather charming and entertaining read. And while the mystery plot did take a while to get under way, I did not feel shortchanged at all since the authour wisely spent half the book setting the stage -- filling us in on the past and present histories of the Norvilles (both the richer and the poor relations), and fleshing out the various characters that were about to become suspects of the for murder mystery that was about to take place.

It's December of 1923, and Daisy and Alec are about to spend their very first Christmas as a married couple together (barring Alec getting called up to investigate another criminal case, of course). But first, Daisy has to go away for a few days in order to write an article on a distant cousin's estate, Brockdene, for her magazine, 'Town and Country.' Unfortunately for Daisy, when her mother, the Dowager Viscountess Dalrymple, gets wind of Daisy's plans, she comes up with a counter-plan of her own. The Dowager has decided that her entire family will spend Christmas together at Brockdene as guests of Lord Westmoor (the owner of Brockdene). Unbeknownst to the Dowager (who envisions some sort of elegant Christmas do peopled by the "right" sort of people) however, her plans are destined not to be realised: to begin with Westmoor and his family no longer spend Christmas at Brockdene and Brockdene is currently home to Westmoor's uncle's children -- scandal-ridden, poorer relations that have never really been acknowledged; also Daisy's sister has fallen ill, and so neither she nor her husband will be able to attend the Christmas festivities. All in all, not the kind of family gathering the Dowager had in mind.

In attendance however is an ex-missionary priest who has some connection to these scandalous Norville relations, and who seems to have been invited to Brockdene for a particular reason. What this reason is, Daisy isn't exactly sure (though she is dying to know), but she is sure that the reverend's presence is putting a strain on the Norville family, and that the tension and resentment is taking a toll on everyone. Esp since the reverend proves to be a rather stiff-rumped disapproving sort who soon puts a damper on the entire gathering. And then the reverend is found murdered in chapel. The obvious suspects are (of course) the poor Norville relations, but new information soon puts other Norville relations (Westmoor as well) in the running for prime suspect. Why was the reverend murdered and by whom? And as much as Daisy may like most of the poor relations, she cannot deny that one of them may have had the best reason for killing the reverend...

I really enjoyed reading this latest Daisy Dalrymple murder mystery. True, the mystery plot did take a while to unwind. But Carola Dunn told her story in such a charming, elegant and clever manner that I didn't feel impatient at all that the mystery proper took a while to get started. And then there was the poignant subplot involving the 'scandal'-ridden poorer Norville relations. I was truly involved with their plight and was really rooting for them to come out on top. There were, on the whole, very few plot twists, but there were suspects in the plenty. And the novel was rich in atmosphere and period charm, with a good storyline and a telling indictment on prejudice. For me, "Mistletoe and Murder" was a truly excellent read.

This is not a bad book. Most of the common diagnoses for primary care are covered, and the standardized format is a handy reference. However, the differential diagnosis section could be expanded a bit for each disorder. Some pharmacologic interventions are a bit out of date, but this is more of a function of the necessary delay in getting into press... Good evidence-based approach and no promotion of questionable therapies - a major plus. This book would be a superb pocket guide. All in all, Dains' Assessment & Dx in Primary Care is a superior book - but this book is a good quickie reference (and covers treatment to boot.)

Logically organized for easy reference, an excellent study guide or quick review, this publication provides for all primary care practitioners current, researched therapies that are reliable and accurate. Lists of differential diagnoses jog the memory not to mention often forgotten patient education tips. Room for notes at each entry plus extra, pertinent information in back. Good for clinical rotation preparation/enhancement.

Daisy is given a pair of tickets to see her neighbors Muriel Westlea and her sister Bettina Abernathy in a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. She invites her favorite police officer, Alec Fletcher, to go with her. During the concert, Bettina takes a drink from a glass under her chair and immediately falls over dead. There is an odor of almonds. Was it cyanide? She was very unpleasant, but who hated her enough to kill her?

This is an excellent addition to the series. The singers are an interesting group of people, to the point of being bizarre. It is interesting to see the development of the relationship of Alec and Daisy.

Set in 1923 England, this series follows the adventures of the Honorable Daisy Dalrymple, a young woman who has defied convention by choosing to make her own living (as a journalist) rather than let her aristocratic family support her. And her growing friendship with Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard, a man decidedly NOT of her class, is a bone of contention between Daisy and her friends.

In this, the third of the series (preceded by "The Winter Garden Mystery" and followed by "Murder on the Flying Scotsman"), we get a glimpse of Daisy's home life in the Chelsea section of London. Friendly with her next-door neighbors, Daisy accepts their invitation to a concert where they will be singing. When one of them dies in the middle of the concert, Daisy and Alec find themselves, once again, investigating murder.

This is an extremely enjoyable and well-done series, and Dunn is adept at creating a compelling portrait of time and place. There's plenty of mystery to spare in this one, with more suspects and clues than Alec and Daisy know what to do with (though the scene in which suspect after suspect confides in Daisy is a bit overdone). It's also refreshing that the "set-up" is so different than in the first two books-instead of sending Daisy on yet another writing assignment at a country manor, Dunn keeps her in London.

This is a charming series, and this book is a strong addition to it.

Birders are an odd, if endearing lot, and nowhere is this more apparent (and freely admitted) than in Pete Dunne's Tales of a Low-rent Birder. Since my interest in birding is only casual, the stories that took birding propensities to extremes, such as the hypothetical SVAT team (think SWAT for birds) composed of 4 quirky members who can't agree on anything and spend their lives tracking down bird sightings, and The Legend of Jesse Mew, a play on the guru followed by his adoring disciples thing, were a bit much for me. However, his story of finding, following and eventually pulling on a kit string that wound its way across a bird sanctuary (and thereby causing the entire bird population to take wing when the kite rose into the air) was amusing, as was his story of birding with Roger Tory Peterson. I also enjoyed his attempt to see the world through a peregrine falcon's eyes in "Peregrine Going South for the First Time," and his brief profiles of 4 birders who, though very different people, all share the ability to "see" as told in "A Gift of Vision."

However, none of these stories really hit home for me, meaning I didn't find myself reading eagerly with great interest (as I did with Kingbird Highway by Kenn Kaufman, or The Rites of Autumn by Dano O'Brien), or wishing for more once a story ended. In fact I kept putting the book aside with a feeling of vague dissatisfaction. Avid birders may have another story to tell, but for me this book was a disappointment.

An original writing style and a true love of birds and birdwatching make this one a standout. With sections on eagles, hawks, bluebills and even birdwatchers themselves, this one is a delight for the fellow birdlover.

not full of scientific jargon but great pictures and gives you a quick look at what is so wonderful about each flower, the best strains, and what type of climate to plant.

A fascinating travel around the Islam world of the XIV century. Ross Dunn made a tremendous job elaborating the original text from the traditional "rihla" format of travel reports, which a contemporary writer prepared on the basis of Ibn Battuta comments and the exisiting notes from different travelers. The original text would have been boring and not so easy for a normal reader to understand the historic and social context in which Ibn Battuta was moving. A vast piece of world united under the Islam culture, ranging from the Atlantic shore of Morocco to the South China Sea and south to the Guinea Gulf coast. The book is easy to read and full of foot-notes for further reading.

i DID NOT THINK OF THIS A A GREAT PIECE GOING FROM THE VIRTORIAN NOVERLIST EARA.

In this chapter on multifrequency tympanometry Robert Margolis and Lisa Hunter, Otolaryngology Department, University of Minnesota, USA present (*) a summary of the linear theory used to interpret the immittance measurements, (*) examples of actual measurement as well as (*) the steps in the practical procedure and (*) the reliability of this method in diagnosing middle ear diseases.

It is the clearest and most detailed presentation of tympanometry I have been able to find (you can find a detailed primer on the physics of tympanometry -based on Margolis's and Hunter's chapter- by searching with Google for tympanometry + lymenet).

I have read a number of books in the series, and would have to say thiat this was one of my favourites. Having an overly competitive elder brother myself, I can understand how Jo felt. It describes a typical brother/sister relationship really well. Like the other books in the series, the story is told sinply, with humour, and is short enough to be read in half an hour. It's also nice to hear a story from Jo's point of view, as she has become more of a main character by this stage.