It is one thing to learn those complicated dance steps by watching the instructor, but it is another to get what those names in French mean. This book helped me to understand the meaning of the terms used in classes which in turn made it easier to learn the steps in class. This books takes you to another level in understanding the art of ballet.

As a dancer, I've always been taught, and do believe, that knowing exactly what those tounge twisting French terms means helps you to execute the steps. If you don't know the names of the steps, you can't do the combonations, you can't dance properly. This book definately helped with a couple of the creaky terms that I wasn't too sure about, and was especially useful when rehearsing alone without a partner or ballet master. Gail Grant's book is excellent for both ballet beginners, advanced dancers, and balletomanes.

As a pianist who basically got drafted to accompany ballet classes I needed all the help I could get since I knew absolutely nothing about the terminology of ballet. And since my first experience accompanying was for the professionals at the Southern Ballet Theatre, I knew I was in big trouble. This little book helped me immensely with the terms, although I still had tons of problems because I simply did not know what the steps looked like until I saw them rehearsed. For beginners, you are going to need a few references to understand what the instructor is saying because they simply don't have the time to give you private lessons while the rest of the class waits. I recommend this book for all those musicians who haven't got a clue about the language of one of the most beautiful art forms in existence. Heck, I almost sound French when I use the pronunciation guide.

I read this book as a incredibly sheltered 12-year old and did not quite grasp what was going on. The bombshell at the end traumatized me for days. I don't think it was the best way for me to learn about such horrors, and it was not the way my parents wanted me to learn about it (they bought the book thinking it was about vampires). For others (less innocent, older, or more mature than I was) it is probably a very important book. As realistic as it is, be forewarned that it is also very disturbing.

This is one of the best books I have read in a while. I was sexual abused when I was very young. I never talked about it until high school when a bunch of my friends came out with their stories of sexual abuse and assualt. I read this book when I first began to talk about my ordeal. It took me a while to even say the sexual abuse. This book helped get through the beginnig stages of my healing. My friend gave it to me because it help her also. This girl in the story went through almost everything I went through, but I had no one to talk to then. Or at least that is what I thought. Today I am a better and stronger person and this book helped me, in a small but needed way to get through that dark door and start the internal healing. I finally have moved on with my life. I feel that every girl that has been through a traumatic situation such as rape or molestion should defintely read this book. It won't make things all better, but it will help you get there. Sincerly, A victim turned survivor.

I loved this book. Cynthia D. Grant is my favorite author and I read as much as I can of her. I read Shadow Man. That is still my farvorite.

Quite often when I read anthologies, one or two of the stories are excellent and the others just OK. I really enjoyed all the stories in this anthology. The first two stories (by Lynsay Sands and Lisa Cach) are historical, which I don't often read, but I enjoyed them both very much. The last two (by Julie Kenner and Susan Grant) are the reason I bought this and they were both wonderful.

"Mother, May I?" by Lynsay Sands is set in Medieval England. The story is about Lord Jonathan, a knight, whose mother goes to some extreme and sometimes funny antics to get him to finally wed. This was a sweet and humourous story. This is the first story I've read by this author and I liked this one so much, I will now look for more.

"The Breeding Season" by Lisa Cach is also a historical. Charles and Evelina's mothers force them to spend time together. She is very flamboyant and he is very shy...at first I wasn't sure at first if I would like these characters, as they did not seem to be the usual romance hero/heroine, but I did and the story was very good.

"Seeking Single Superhero" by Julie Kenner is set in the same world as her novel "Aprodite's Kiss" and was excellent. Jennifer works along with her mother at the Mortal-Protector Liaison Office and is NOT looking for a protector (superhero) boyfriend. Her mother has other ideas . I loved this one...it was funny, sexy and I can't wait until the release of "Aprodite's Passion" next month. If you haven't read Aprodite's Kiss before this, you will want to after!

"The Day Her Heart Stood Still" by Susan Grant is also a science fiction romance and it was fabulous! Andie is a pilot and astronaut who's mother is (much to her dismay) a UFO fanatic. Imagine her surprise when her mother brings home a handsome and very sexy alien. It's a lovely and touching story and Susan's dedication before the story brought tears to my eyes. Excellent and highly recommended, as are all of Susan's stories!

An all around excellent anthology.

What is it that mothers want for their daughters? A happy marriage, with the man of their choosing. In this anthology, four mothers scheme to get their daughters to the altar with the man of their dreams. Despite the manipulating, all of the daughters find their own way to happiness, sometimes with the man they never thought they would love. Reviewed are the two paranormal novellas, "Seeking Single Superhero" by Julie Kenner and "The Day Her Heart Stood Still" by Susan Grant.

"Seeking Single Superhero"
Jennifer Martin's mother wants her to marry a superhero. Jennifer thinks superheroes are arrogant and self-absorbed. Unfortunately, her mother will go to any lengths to find one for her daughter, including placing an ad in her name or working with one of them, Piter, to entrap Jennie.

Jennifer and her mother do know quite a bit about Protectors as they are both employed by the Mortal-Protector Liaison Office. Daphne, the mother, works with the computer system and highly classified information. Unknown to both mother and daughter, Daphne is suspected of collaborating with an enemy of the Protectors. Starbuck, the Protector assigned to investigate Daphne's activities, is undercover and has none of the bulging muscles or arrogance that normally identifies the superhero breed. He attaches himself to Jennifer to learn more about her mother, but close association leads to sparks, which leads to love.

This is the first story I've read in the Protectors series and I was surprised to find that I really liked it. I'm not a big fan of superhero-type stories, but Julie Kenner has written real people in a slightly unreal world. Both Jennifer and Starbuck are well-defined characters I wanted to know. With the search for a mole thrown in to complicate the relationship, there was enough excitement to satisfy me. I look forward to reading more of Julie's work.

"The Day Her Heart Stood Still"
Major Andie Del Sarto, an astronaut, is very close to being announced as part of the crew for the first manned flight to Mars. Her biggest fear is that the media will exploit her mother's obsession with UFOs, so she makes a rare trip back to Roswell, New Mexico, to see her parents. When a star she wishes on comes crashing to Earth, the last thing she expects is to meet the man of her dreams.

Cassie, Andie's mother, wants to investigate the crash and drags Andie along. The man they find inside the space ship is dressed in an unusual suit, but nothing indicates that he's anything but human. At first. Andie finds herself drawn to Zefer almost immediately, empathizing with his frustration and inability to communicate, and grows to believe he really did come from another world. Zefer learns quickly, with help from a wrist computer, and communicates his need to get back to his ship and get off planet. Earth isn't ready for a meeting with his people yet. Still, leaving Andie isn't something he wants to do. He wished for her, just as she wished for him, and he isn't letting her go.

Susan Grant has written a story that had me from the first page. The emotions, the characters, the final scene, all fit together like a well-tailored suit. The wackiness of Andie's parents was perfect training for Andie to accept a man from another world. Their easy acceptance of Zefer's alienness makes it easy for Andie and Zefer to contemplate a life together, somewhere. I didn't want this story to end, but the ending was perfect. This story by itself makes the anthology worth buying.

Linda Steadman, SFR Online

This anthology has four of Dorchester's bright stars giving you varied tales of how Mother KNOWS BEST!!! (Ignore the running blah green cover!!)
Lynsay Sand's Gives a medieval tale of mother plotting to get the grandbabies she wants by telling him the girl is wrong for him. Julie Kenner gives you a futuristic tale. I loved "The Day her Heart Stood Still", a take off on "the Day the Earth Stood Still". As a child I always thought Michael Rennie and Patrica Neal created good sparks and sighed wishing for more romance. Susan Grant takes that idea and runs with it (Thank you, Susan, for finally fulfilling that childhood desire!!). And Lisa Cach sends you to 1750 England giving us another super historical romp!!! Whimsical, light reading perfect for MUM!!!

The PERFECT gift for Mother's Day (US)....with a box of ...Chocolates!!!

I finally bought this book of which I'd hear so much and I was not disappointed. For those of you who enjoy true romances, here is a real life romance of the highest and most passionate order. As a scholar of the Victorian era in the United States, most women of that era did not write like Julia Dent Grant, or express themselves in such tones. Her great love and attraction for her 'hero husband' is made evident throughout and in a most delightful way. The faults of the book are that she concentrates a little too much on their trip after he left the Presidency, and also I would have liked to have heard more about the Presidency itself. She rather glosses over that. Of course she is partial for her husband and makes plain they enjoyed each other thoroughly in wartime, peactime and in the bedroom. I really liked this book and for all fans of Ulys... RUN, don't walk to buy this superlative look into his life/

I read General Grant's Memoirs and enjoyed them so much, I thought I'd have a go at his wife's Memoirs. I am glad I did. This is an unexpected and rare treasure. I have read so many other books from the Victorian-era that are stuffy, stilted and uptight. This book is none of these things. Julia Grant is an interesting woman with a very sharp sense of humor. You can see why General Grant was so in love with her.

That's the thing that impressed me the most. This book is a real-life love story, about two people who remained in love (and one gathers, "in lust") with one another from day one until Grant died. Julia lets the reader know very well that she loved him and he loved her. I think this is more of a woman's book than a man's book, but I give it my highest recommendation!

Julia Dent Grant is sadly an almost forgotten figure in American history, but her book is a fascinating, intimate journey into the heart and soul of a 19th century woman. Julia and Ulysses Grant shared a mythical love which transcends time and retains an uncommon vibrancy. The book was written in the 1890's but was never published until 1975, yet the narrative is surprisingly modern and engaging. No shrinking violet, Julia wrote as she lived: with an open intensity and irreverence which is oftentimes hilarious. She rarely masks her feelings and says exactly what she thinks. The most engrossing portions of her book relate to her life with General Grant. Their courtship had been strained by a 4 year separation, followed by another 2 year period when Grant was stationed alone in California. When the Grants were together all was merry, but when apart, his spirits hit the skids. Grant was emotionally beholden to his wife to a rare degree and she gaily capitalized on his need. Julia herself was exceedingly plain and knew it. It pained her that her unfortunate physical appearence allowed her scant latitude in society and others gossiped about her defects. Incredibly, General Grant never seemed to notice or care that his wife was a plain Jane and behaved in a most uxorious manner when in her company. Whatever complexes Julia had about her appearence, she reveled in Grant's fame and the reflected glory it cast upon her. Julia's book is entertaining and significant for all history buffs and it is a notable addition to women's literature of the 19th century. It is as if she was sitting in a rocking chair, sewing basket on her lap, chatting informally about the Union's greatest General and America's most underrated hero. Truly a grand book.

This book is very accessible for someone with a strong interest in Roman history, but little background in the subject (like myself). Like the other reviewers, I agree that "History of Rome" is more of a primer to Ancient Rome than a detailed scholarly analysis.

But, as primers go, it is very thorough. Grant discusses the political, economical, and military aspects of Roman life relatively equally. His timeline encompasses the entire span of Roman history (a breathtaking era).

Furthermore, unlike many historians, Grant includes the cultural side of Roman life. He gives almost equal weight to Vergil, Horace and Ovid as to many political/military figures. This gives a more human aspect to ancient Rome, which, though like modern society in many ways, still seems so remote to us.

Grant's writing style can get a bit dull, but the book flows well
and is hard to put down. History may be more exciting than drama at times, but telling it is often more difficult. Grant can hardly be blamed for not keeping the reader at the edge of his seat all the time.

Before exploring the depths of Roman history it's important to grasp the sheer breadth of it. As one of the few one volume histories of Rome this book is a great starting point for the study of Roman history. Obviously, detail has to be sacrificed in an overview (which is really what this book is). But, Grant sneaks a surprising amount of details into this one. Due to the structure of the book and the reader friendly narrative style he employs it's easy to miss many details. He often mentions a battle in a single sentence (just date, location, victor). But, such a clipped pace is required when writing a history of this magnitude. Of course, I have a few qualms. Like most historians, Grant can't help but pass judgement on the Romans for their brutality. He would have been better off including a few lines describing a particular incident of brutality, instead of moralizing. Also, he falls into another common trap, near the conclusion losing the narrative thread, and focusing more on the reasons for Rome's fall. Lastly, the book includes a mix of narration and analysis. Grant's narration is some of the best writing in a history of Rome. However, his analysis stands in stark contrast. He's at his best when he weaves (social) analysis in with straight narration. Early on he does this. Later, he slips up a bit. While the majority of the book has a definite cinematic feel, the last quarter or so is rather choppy and (on occasion) dry. Despite its faults, this is by far the best book covering the whole of Roman history. Buy this book before you buy any other history of Rome. Then, use it to find the periods you'd like to explore in depth. From there, you can choose from many modern and classical sources. But, without first reading through a history of Rome from founding to fall, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the many histories out there. Grant's book is the perfect introduction to Roman history. Nothing more. Nothing less.

With some persistence, I found a used copy of this volume. I am new to the Roman History field, and this book provided a much needed overview. Scholarly and well written, Grant's book provides a strong but workable entry into a fascinating and intriquing field. At times, he moves quickly through the various stages, and I found myself wanting more information, but the design of the book was to provide an overview. After reading this work, a student can move on to more advanced reading with some degree of confidence. Don't let the price put you off. Look at the used additions.

Anyone who has a business card of any kind can profit enormously from this book. Its a thick volume, but don't let that decieve you -- its actually a very quick read. Ms. Grant makes every page fly by with well-reasoned suggestions and literally hundreds of illustrated examples. Considering what an effective business card can mean to you, you'd be crazy to miss the information here. If you think your current business card is beyond improvement, read this book anyway -- for the price of a paperback, you can turn your business card into a better sales tool.

Nearly 500 valuable pages of detailed information on the littlest billboard; your business card. What a treasure trove! I learned things about business cards that I'd never thought of before. Tons of great ideas. You must read this book BEFORE you design or redesign your business card.

I have just finished reading "The Business Card Book" - some of it more than once. I found the book to be very informative and suprisingly very interesting. It's very unusual to find a topic that appears to be so mundane, such as a business card, brought to life in such a masterful way.

Very enjoyable reading! I recommend the book to all of my friends.

A historical fiction about Grant beginning in the fall of 1879 and ending with his death in 1885. It begins when the Country and specifically the Republican party is looking for a Presidential candidate. Grant is not actively campaigned for the nomination which, if elected, would make him President for a third term. The author, Max Byrd, uses an interesting technique of describing Grant's persona by telling stories, some well known and some not, about people who touched his life. Some of the people are friends and some frankly, are enemies. Byrd uses a fictitious newspaper reporter as the forcing function to tie the many stories together into an enjoyable and informative novel. Somewhat distracting for me was his technique of hyphenation--that carry substantial and granted informative amplification but in some cases goes on for several lines--to make his point. I enjoyed very much the detailed pictures that Byrd paints of the life and times of Washington D.C. The Republican convention was held in Chicago in 1880. Byrd does a nice job of describing the activities of that gathering where Grant had over 300 votes, but insufficient for nomination. Garfield was continuing to advocate John Sherman and then on the thirty-sixth vote the convention rolled-over and nominated Garfield himself. While the words, or course, are Byrd's creation, most of the characters are real. I found it interesting to take the book and walk around the area near Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. and see the houses where Grant and the other characters came and went. Many interesting facts...for example, I was surprised to learn that Mark Twain convinced Grant to let the publisher that he owned publish the Memoirs of Grant. Twain paid him in advance because Grant's investment partner, Ward, had embezzled all their money. Byrd also has written similar fictionalized novels about Jefferson and Andrew Jackson. I plan to read both of those as well.

This book is a terrific evocation of an era, largely ignored in American history. By painting the shadows around Grant, I thought Byrd gave us "The Gilded Age" replete with the co-author (Twain) himself. Byrd has a rare gift for historical portraiture and wonderful storytelling. For those looking for more biographical facts on Grants life, see Jean Smith's excellent one volume biography.

A surprising and fascinating book. Author Max Byrd follows the same basic structure as in his previous historical novels Jefferson and Jackson: youngish writer with one foot in Europe and the other in America tries to penetrate the essential mystery of the title character by researching the collected and conflicting observations of well-placed contemporaries. In Grant's case of course, the essential mystery is how Sam Grant, an alcoholic and utter failure approaching 40 years of age, could become U. S. Grant, the man who took command of the oft-beaten Union Army and saved his country, becoming in the process a future two-term president and "the most famous man in the world". Our protagonist, the fictional writer Nicholas Trist, was maimed in the war under Grant's command and thus has every reason to hate his former commander. As he works through his feelings about Grant and more details of various parts of Grant's life are revealed, we draw our own conclusions as well. The events of the novel take place after Grant's military and presidential careers are concluded and concern his attempt to obtain a third term and the well-known (and here well-told) efforts of the bankrupt and dying Grant to complete his memoirs in order to provide for his family. As expected in a book of this nature various real-life personages appear throughout (e.g. Mark Twain, William Tecumseh Sherman). Unexpectedly, one of these characters emerges as the subject of the novel just as much as Grant is. In real-life, famed 19th-century historian Henry Adams expressed his contemptuous dismissal of Grant's abilities and so Adams' prominent role in the book is no surprise, especially given his irresistibly (for a writer) vexatious personality . Where the novel takes its strange turn is the role Adams' wife Marion Hooper Adams (or his"doomed wife Clover" as the jacket blurb would have it) plays. Though hating her husband, Trist becomes friends with the witty, talented, unattractive, and unappreciated Clover and it is their conversations which become the most moving part of the book. I believe the author came to find Mrs. Adams' sad story even more interesting than Grant's and so powerful is Byrd's writing in these passages that I did as well. The book gains strength as we watch and she watches her own life slowly unravel. The most unusual thing of all is that her story and Grant's story are for the most part unconnected and the Trist character in effect shuttles back and forth between Grant's and Clover's lives. Since the novel is called Grant I was very curious to see how Byrd would in the end link the two stories. He does so masterfully but almost imperceptibly, in one seemingly off-hand comment Clover makes near the end of the book, contrasting Grant's actions in his final days to an act of her husband who was motivated by something quite different. I most strongly recommend this wonderfully written book to anyone who enjoyed Byrd's previous books. I hesitate to recommend this to anyone looking for a historical novel in a military vein such as Michael and Jeffrey Shaara's Civil War novels. The book contains no battle reconstructions and Grant's strategic and tactical decisions are only discussed cursorily in the larger context of his character. Anyone who likes Gore Vidal's historical novels should like this book and I suspect Byrd is very familiar with those novels as well.

I bought this book for my husband, thinking he'd enjoy it. He didn't. He couldn't identify with the author at all. I'll admit, we both howled when we read the part about attending Lamaze classes, but other than that, my husband found the book disappointing.

I read the new book by Grant Eppler the other day when I was sitting in some office lobby. It had me in stiches most of the time. Here is a book written by a guy for a change that spells out what to expect during a pregnacy. It was wriiten for a guy to understand and appreciate. Being that guys usually just watch what happens to the women durung pregnacy, this book spelled out all the things guys go through too written in a outside-the-bubble kind of style. You will learn what a 'sonnet' gram is all about and the disappointment of not getting tickets to the 'lemans'! You will absolutely roll during the actual lamaze classes and you will absolutely identify with everyting the author went through. I recommend this book be given to any expectant father and should be given out by every ob gyn to the father to get them prepared for childbirth. It an easy read, and if you have gone through pregnacy you will appreciate more of what you put up with for 9 months.

As the wife of a father-to-be, I was sincerely impressed with the amazing content of this book. I started it on my lunch break one afternoon at work. Later that day, I found myself ignoring my husband in order to finish it. It is truly an informative, detailed account of how a man should handle the overwhelming and sometimes scary event that is pregnancy. I encourage any father-to-be to read this book and learn from it. Thank you, Mr. Eppler, for sharing your insightful knowledge.

Published in 1820, Maturin's "Melmoth the Wanderer" is usually named as the last of the Gothic novels. Gothic here implies the incorporation of Burke's elements of the "sublime", wherein terror and sorrow invoke in the reader a heightened sense of empathy with the events unfolding in the narrative. Maturin pulls out all the stops of his time in creating situations of hopelessness, fear, and both religous and social sadism. Melmoth himself has sold his soul to the devil (will these people *never* learn? ;-) and attempts over the course of scores of years to find someone so desperate that they will take this "bargain" off his hands before the devil comes for his due. The novel is constructed of tales-within-tales, depicting the awful conditions the people Melmoth seeks out find themselves in. For example, the "Tale of the Spaniard" is told by a prisoner of the Inquisition (although this tedious tale takes over 120 pages to even GET to the Inquisition), whose life is still not so horrible that he would willingly trade place with the wandering Melmoth. The narrative is infuriatingly slow and convoluted, and only a perseverance surpassing the average will reward the patient reader with the creation of atmosphere that keeps this book on the "must read" list of true afficiandos of the supernatural. A minor note: Patrick O'Brian pays tribute to the author by naming one of contemporary literature's most well-known characters after him: half of the "Aubrey/Maturin" team of O'Brian's 19th-century novels of naval warfare.

"Melmoth the Wanderer" is a tour de force of Gothicism, however, the psychological profundity of each character distinguishes this novel from typical examples of the genre. The multi-layered narrative, while occasionally confusing, is worth the concentration as Maturin weaves a complex and gripping tale. Of particular interest is the Tale of the Indian, which is concerned with the influence of Melmoth over Immalee, an innocent girl, alone on an Indian island. The description of her innocence is magnificent in its simplicity and effectiveness. An absolutely astounding, challenging and exciting book.

Maturin's "Melmoth the Wanderer" is a brilliantly constructed work of gothic fiction. One hundred years after Jonathan Swift, Maturin takes up his Irish predecessor's gift for harsh, even malevolent satire against any and all offenders - organized religion, government, lovers, warriors - even making broad, devastating comments on humanity in general. Maturin and his characters are quick to point out that this is not 'Radcliffe-romance' gothic, in the direct style of works like "The Mysteries of Udolpho". They are right. Rather than the seemingly landscape-obsessed, rationalistic Radcliffe, Maturin takes his direct gothic influences from the claustrophobic psychological terrors of Godwin's "Caleb Williams," Lewis' "The Monk," and M.W. Shelley's "Frankenstein."

Unlike "The Monk," however, Maturin's novel does not rely heavily on Lewis' supernatural machinery (ghosts, demons, bleeding nuns, etc.). Instead, he offers several apparently unconnected stories that concentrate on families in desperate straits and individuals in extreme crises, pushing the limits of man's inhumanity to man. The connecting element, the wild card with the wild eyes, that pops up just when the characters most/least need him, is Melmoth the Wanderer.

"Melmoth" also draws heavily from Cervantes' "Don Quixote," which provides a great point of comparison for the main character. Where Don Quixote was a wandering knight, pledged to help the helpless, Melmoth is a wandering agent of evil, whose mission is to prey on the helpless. Melmoth has 150 years to tempt the indigent and desperate into selling their souls for wealth, power, or simple relief, and trading places with him.

Again looking backward to "Quixote" and forward to Stoker's "Dracula," "Melmoth" is also heavily concerned with it's own construction as a text. The various stories are pieced together by eyewitnesses, interviewers, and ancient manuscripts, often at several removes from their originals. There is even one gentleman in the novel who is collecting material to write a book about Melmoth the Wanderer.

This is not a book for everyone. Maturin often provides almost excessively long preludes before any action occurs in his nested narratives. The traumas he inflicts on Melmoth's targets can drive you to the point of insanity yourself. However, if you are a admirer of the psychological thriller without all the show of your standard gothic-terror text, "Melmoth the Wanderer" is sure to keep you busy for days, if not weeks.

This book is fine if you want to read about writing romance for inspiration, but it does not provide much useful content. The author frequently refers to passages from her own books as examples of how to do something, but she doesn't give much of analysis or practical detail on how to write.

Although this book is mainly about writing Contemporary romance, I really loved the character sketches! She also had a couple other ideas that really struck home for me!

Writing Romance was awarded the 1998 "Under the Covers" award for best writing book.