This book was an excellent compendium of both multifarious mystical phenomena and the ways in which we can verify their certitude of falsehood. Especially compelling is the evidence listed on Medjugorje and its visionaries; for instance, extensive medical testing of said visionaries have found no duplicity--in fact, there has been no medical, scientific or psychological explanation for why these children, all six of them together, were able to follow apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary with their eyes simultaneously and synchronously as being observed by scientific experts, where to them the kids were merely staring at a blank wall. Compelling reading in an easy-to-use question answer format reminiscent of various sholastic philosophers.

In 1964 I found this book in a library in Augsburg, Germany while searching for a way to explain to my 5 year old daughter the sudden death of her 3 month old brother. I checked the book out and read it to her that afternoon. The simple story of a group of children finding the dead bird and burying it with a little, sincere and heart-felt ceremony was comforting to her, and with the last picture of the children playing nearby and falling leaves beginning to cover the little grave she was able to understand the finality of death. She said, "And we'll always be able to remember Matt when we want to, won't we, Dad?" This is the only "real" Childrens' book about death that I have ever seen. It should be in every pre-school and kindergarten library; no, in every library!

The way the author describes the caracters and the action in the book, made it visible to me as I read it. I could very easily see this book as a movie, it had everything you could want in a mystery book. It has a very interesing murder weapon. The main character isn't the typical PI.

I wish this kind of Regency was still published today. I discovered the works of Diana Brown recently, and I strongly recommend her works (at least in traditional Regency). Some of her books were published by St Martin's Press, others by Signet and so forth.

The story and the premise were intriguing enough to provoke a debate on a Regency readers group in which I participate. One of the major questions asked (of a reader of Regency romances) is: "What constitutes a lady's honor? Should it be judged on the same grounds as a man's? Or does her honor constitute solely of her reputation, which is based in turn of her birth, her connections, her dowry, her marital status, and of course, her chastity?" Another question to ask while you are reading this book is "What is worth sacrificing, and for what?" The hero and heroine of this novel (for it is indeed a novel) answer these questions differently, as do people around them. I had a different take from another reader as well, in that I agreed with neither the hero nor the heroine.

The synopsis: Lord Chalmsforth (not Lord Peter Chalmsforth, as in the book) is considering marriage at the start of the novel, because his middle brother has died unmarried and his younger and only surviving brother is too young and also too immature. To this end, Peter Chalmsforth visits his mother (a lady of impeccable tastes), and discusses his plans with her. At the end, he sets out to waylay his brother to prevent an unsuitable marriage to the conniving daughter of a country clergyman. He arrives in the country, only to discover that the lady in question is actually quite respectable, but that his brother's attentions have shifted to the sister of his friend - who is also desired (or found attractive, at any rate) by Chalmsforth himself. Chalmsforth makes a huge blunder (or a couple of blunders) that will henceforth color the heroine Fiona Guthrie's impressions of him and his expectations, and determine their futures.

Fiona Guthrie is a young lady of great determination, remarkably attractive but sadly penniless thanks to the financial imprudence of her father, a man of ancient lineage who did not survive his late wife for long. She is nevertheless determined to hold her parents's marriage (for love) as her example, and she will not marry without love. Fiona is also passionately attached to her childhood and family home, a historic house connected allegedly to Mary, Queen of the Scots (who Fiona views as superior to Elizabeth I). She is co-owner of this home with her scapegrace gamester brother, Niall. Unfortunately, Niall does not take this fact and others into consideration when he plays cards with a notorious rake, loses the sum of seven thousand pounds, and then compounds with a moneylender, using the estate as collateral.

To save her brother from debtor's prison and worse (he has misrepresented the estate as larger than it is, and has failed to mention that he is only part-owner), Fiona Guthrie seeks out her mother's sister, a rather vulgar lady despite her good birth. This lady and her husband will not lend the money without any collateral. Fiona refuses to either give them the abbey (which she feels is worth more than the sum of her brother's losses) or to sell the abbey outright. She departs their house in high dudgeon, but remembers an interesting conversation with Lord Chalmsforth who had admired her greatly.

The rest of the story contains spoilers, so I will discuss it in a separate review. Fiona is a remarkable heroine, whatever you might think of her actions or her feelings about love and marriage (not to mention her house and her family pride). She ends up not married to a highly eligible suitor, but running a school or academy for girls with her friend (the clergyman's daughter, thrown over by Chalmsforth's brother). And yes, there is a Happily Ever After ending, with Chalmsforth and Fiona married to each other, and the friend finding her own suitable and loving husband.

The focus of this story is the complicated relationship of Fiona (Guthrie) and Peter (Chalmsforth), made even more complicated by certain facts. Fiona has a sense of her honor that is quite unlike that of the usual Regency lady (or lord). For her, honor in a woman is on par with honor for a gentleman. Keeping your word is important. Marriage to someone you do not love is prostitution - permanent prostitution. These are somewhat advanced but not unusual ideas. (She has read Wollstonecraft, I believe). The question is - Does the hero agree with her? Will Fiona change her mind, and if so, when and why? And how would you interpret the actions and motivations of hero and heroine.

There is an icky (but not too icky) villain who gets something of a comeuppance - although life being what it is, he manages to create a problem for the hero. His motivations are generally quite credible, although I had little understanding of why he chose to fleece young gentlemen in the first place. [But we can guess why - losing could be very expensive].

Most of the secondary characters are beautifully done, including an attractive but not cutesy young girl. The mores and manners of the period are generally well-adhered to in this book. And apart from the small error with the hero's title and style, there are no major bloopers in the author's understanding of how British aristocratic society worked. The book is beautifully written, imaginative, and well-constructed. That I disagree with the heroine's actions is neither here nor there.

Do yourself a favor, and pick up this book or almost any other by this author.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

and the kind of Regency that I wish were still published today. I discovered the works of Diana Brown recently, and I strongly recommend her works (at least in traditional Regency). Some of her books were published by St Martin's Press, others by Signet and so forth.

The story and the premise were intriguing enough to provoke a debate on a Regency readers group in which I participate. One of the major questions asked (of a reader of Regency romances) is: "What constitutes a lady's honor? Should it be judged on the same grounds as a man's? Or does her honor constitute solely of her reputation, which is based in turn of her birth, her connections, her dowry, her marital status, and of course, her chastity?" Another question to ask while you are reading this book is "What is worth sacrificing, and for what?" The hero and heroine of this novel (for it is indeed a novel) answer these questions differently, as do people around them. I had a different take from another reader as well, in that I agreed with neither the hero nor the heroine.

The synopsis: Lord Chalmsforth (not Lord Peter Chalmsforth, as in the book) is considering marriage at the start of the novel, because his middle brother has died unmarried and his younger and only surviving brother is too young and also too immature. To this end, Peter Chalmsforth visits his mother (a lady of impeccable tastes), and discusses his plans with her. At the end, he sets out to waylay his brother to prevent an unsuitable marriage to the conniving daughter of a country clergyman. He arrives in the country, only to discover that the lady in question is actually quite respectable, but that his brother's attentions have shifted to the sister of his friend - who is also desired (or found attractive, at any rate) by Chalmsforth himself. Chalmsforth makes a huge blunder (or a couple of blunders) that will henceforth color the heroine Fiona Guthrie's impressions of him and his expectations, and determine their futures.

Fiona Guthrie is a young lady of great determination, remarkably attractive but sadly penniless thanks to the financial imprudence of her father, a man of ancient lineage who did not survive his late wife for long. She is nevertheless determined to hold her parents's marriage (for love) as her example, and she will not marry without love. Fiona is also passionately attached to her childhood and family home, a historic house connected allegedly to Mary, Queen of the Scots (who Fiona views as superior to Elizabeth I). She is co-owner of this home with her scapegrace gamester brother, Niall. Unfortunately, Niall does not take this fact and others into consideration when he plays cards with a notorious rake, loses the sum of seven thousand pounds, and then compounds with a moneylender, using the estate as collateral.

To save her brother from debtor's prison and worse (he has misrepresented the estate as larger than it is, and has failed to mention that he is only part-owner), Fiona Guthrie seeks out her mother's sister, a rather vulgar lady despite her good birth. This lady and her husband will not lend the money without any collateral. Fiona refuses to either give them the abbey (which she feels is worth more than the sum of her brother's losses) or to sell the abbey outright. She departs their house in high dudgeon, but remembers an interesting conversation with Lord Chalmsforth who had admired her greatly.

The rest of the story contains spoilers, so I will discuss it in a separate review. Fiona is a remarkable heroine, whatever you might think of her actions or her feelings about love and marriage (not to mention her house and her family pride). She ends up not married to a highly eligible suitor, but running a school or academy for girls with her friend (the clergyman's daughter, thrown over by Chalmsforth's brother). And yes, there is a Happily Ever After ending, with Chalmsforth and Fiona married to each other, and the friend finding her own suitable and loving husband.

The focus of this story is the complicated relationship of Fiona (Guthrie) and Peter (Chalmsforth), made even more complicated by certain facts. Fiona has a sense of her honor that is quite unlike that of the usual Regency lady (or lord). For her, honor in a woman is on par with honor for a gentleman. Keeping your word is important. Marriage to someone you do not love is prostitution - permanent prostitution. These are somewhat advanced but not unusual ideas. (She has read Wollstonecraft, I believe). The question is - Does the hero agree with her? Will Fiona change her mind, and if so, when and why? And how would you interpret the actions and motivations of hero and heroine.

There is an icky (but not too icky) villain who gets something of a comeuppance - although life being what it is, he manages to create a problem for the hero. His motivations are generally quite credible, although I had little understanding of why he chose to fleece young gentlemen in the first place. [But we can guess why - losing could be very expensive].

Most of the secondary characters are beautifully done, including an attractive but not cutesy young girl. The mores and manners of the period are generally well-adhered to in this book. And apart from the small error with the hero's title and style, there are no major bloopers in the author's understanding of how British aristocratic society worked. The book is beautifully written, imaginative, and well-constructed. That I disagree with the heroine's actions is neither here nor there.

Do yourself a favor, and pick up this book or almost any other by this author.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I really enjoyed this book! Very insightful about the types of young adult literature directed at girls in the past ten years. Covers all genres and topics,very helpful in teaching YA fiction. Highly reccomended!

LOVED IT!! This book contains a wide variety of creative and fun projects and the illustrations are terrific and inspirational.

DeGowin's Diagnostic Examination is a great book to own - whether you're a medical professional, a medical student, or just simply want to learn the basics of the physical exam. As a first year medical student I have voluminous books which explain the physical exam in detail, yet DeGowin's has been more useful, because it's small enough to carry around in my pocket - yet it's detailed enough to provide all crucial aspects of the routine physical exam. The illustrations which show steps of various exams are simple to follow and better than those found in other clinical skills books I have come across. Furthermore, DeGowin's provides the reader not only with examination proceedures, but describes commonly encountered symptoms and signs of various diseases. And to top it all of there is even a section on "Laboratory values as clues." I highly recommend it for anyone in the medical profession, or to the reader who wants to know in detail what the physical exam should encompass!

Ok, I've never actually read this book. But David K. Brown is my sociology professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. I find his lectures fascinating and am sure that this book is just as intriguing. He has lectured on credentialism, and has shown vast knowledge of the subject. I plan to read this book as soon as I have the time. I would recommend this book to anyone just by having listened to Dr. Brown.

What a great book! Best I can tell, this is the only history of Denali available. This book is full of the history of not only Denali, but also early Alaska and the Park Service. There are page after page of vintage photographs and maps. The text reads smoothly and quickly and amazes at every page. I thought that Denali might be our most special National Park--now I know that it is.