Butler Books

But watch out for errors.

The problem with writing history books is that there are a lot of facts to check. I, for one, am harder on books where I discover inaccuracies since for each one I catch who knows how many others get past me, or worse, form my opinion of a subject.

One glaring error I found in the book occurred on page 189:

"The California school [the California Maritime Academy], operating on Treasure Island (man-made in San Francisco Bay for the 1939 World's Fair), was enlarged and relocated to San Mateo."

For starters, the California Maritime Academy operated during the opening days of World War II from the Ferry building at the foot of Market Street in San Francisco. In 1943 it moved to Vallejo, it's location ever since. At no time was it ever located in San Mateo. Since the school remains in Vallejo to this day, this would have been an easy fact to verify. So how do we know the more obscure facts are correct?

This may be nit-picking, since the book was well-written and very informative. Despite some inaccuracies, I'd still recommend it to anyone looking for a good, broad overview of maritime history. (And for anyone looking for further history of the California Maritime Academy, I'd highly recommend Walter Jaffee's The Track of the Golden Bear (The Glencannon Press, 1996).)

John Butler has presented a fascinating, informative, highly readable, and entertaining story of the rise and fall of the American Merchant Marine. While written from the perspective of an insider, the author never talks down to the reader, nor overwhelms the reader with needless detail. He presents the material in a calm and even-handed way, and hold the reader's attention throughout.

Stories about doctors and their patients fascinate everybody, including doctors themselves, and many famous literary works demonstrate how they can be widely told without violating the confidentiality of the doctor-patient relationship. Susan Woldenberg Butler, a doctor's wife, has collected many moving stories from her husband's colleagues, disguised them elegantly within a fictional framework, and presented them in this delightful book. Many doctors (and their spouses) will find it enlightening as well as entertaining and many patients will get some insight into the satisfactions, tensions, frustrations, and heartbreaks of front-line doctoring in all corners of the world.

'Jan Luydik haunts me. If he's honest, every doctor will admit to such a patient. Jan's one of the reasons I want to leave general practice." Susan Butler's "Secrets from the Black Bag" (SBB) is a collection of 33 quirky, fascinating stories about general physicians from the far-flung corners of the world. This is a great book for any health care professional, especially recommend for medical students and house staff who could use a dram of humility. Butler's doctors are honest, straight-talking chaps; not gods or goddesses, but humble people trying to do difficult jobs and often screwing up. One senses that Butler stands on the shoulders of writers like William Carlos Williams. SBB is an antidote to the preachy popular medical literature we read today; omniscient tales of self-styled experts. Compared to these, Butler is curiously refreshing. SBB is best taken in doses of two to three stories a day (like any good medicine.) One needs a bit of time to absorb the tart unsentimental messages. Ms. Butler's SBB has earned a place on my bookshelf next to Williams' "The Doctor Stories" and John Berger's "A Fortunate Man." Highly recommended to anyone interested to what lies at the heart of medicine.

This textbook has stood the test of time. It has seen multiple publishers and has stood up well. Although it is one of the older textbooks for English speakers learning Esperanto, it does not convey a dated feel. It is broken into over a thousand small, easily digestable lessons. This makes it extremely well suited to self-study students learning in their spare time. It's small size also makes it easy to take along.

This is my favorite Esperanto textbook. Because it is broken up into 1,000 + lessons, one can study as much or as little as one wants per day.

Other Esperanto language books that I've seen (including Esperanto) introduce a number of grammar rules (or exceptions), vocabulary, and exercises. This is way too much for a young child! But this book breaks every new concept into it's own section. For instance, in one section you'll learn that there is no translation of the articles "a" and "an" in Esperanto.

Now, that's obviously too small a section to take up at one time... but you might want to only cover 2 sections, or maybe you'll want to take on 8 sections at a time. It's up to you - how much time you've got on your hands, the age of the student, etc.

One section, which introduced the first sentence and a number of nouns, I spent a week on with my children. But it was just one simple grammar rule, so it wasn't overwhelming at all. We all had fun.

The biggest drawback to this book is that not all the words are defined - the author assumes you will understand that "monto" means "mountain" and "dromedaro" is "dromedary". You'll need access to a good Esperanto/English dictionary in order to really succeed with this book.

At the end of 2 weeks study with this book, my kids knew well over 200 words (and we skipped the ones that would be more difficult for the younger ones, like the translation for "ideal" and the cities and rivers). We were on page 6... and already knew hundreds of words.

There are some really entertaining poems and quaint little words of wisdom. The author is quite a character, and the book is very lively.

This is an excellent resource, and I highly recommend it. Please email me if you would like some suggestions about using this book with children - we've been having a lot of success and a lot of fun.

I didn't read every word on every page. I have used it more as a reference. Captivating set of color illustrations, well written, obviously edited thoroughly to give a more professional read. If you're drawn towards the rewarding art and science of working with stone, this book is a must.

We've been looking for the 'recipe' on how to make light weight Rocks and Trough's, This is the only book we've found to do more then mention that it can be done. One of the best all around books for folk who don't have a Daddy Warbucks bank account.

My children loved this book! The story involves a typical day at a vet's office and is entertaining while being educational. The illustrations are bright and eye catching. The author uses many words associated with the profession (antibiotic, kennel, etc.) and defines the terms in the back of the book in a way that children can understand. We first got this one from the library and are planning to add it to our own collection.

This is the older version of Vicky the Vet, part of the Jobs People Do series. There is a newer version now on www.suesbooks.info, but it's still a great book. Children love the reading about the day in the life of a vet and other jobs. It's great for preschools. Notice that all the jobs also teach diversity and are multi-cultural.

As someone who grew up in the COGIC, with an academic background in women's studies and political science,I found this both a personal and intellectual pleasure to read. Her balanced approach to the shortcomings and hidden strengths of the church's history as it relates to women's voice and agency is honest and revelatory. For anyone interested in some of the little known history of this faith, this book reveals the origin of some of the traditions and mores of this faith to even the "un-churched" reader. It also entertains even the non-academic reader. I can't wait until Butler produces her next book!

Professor Anthea Butler's Women in the Church of God in Christ: Making a Sanctified World is a must read for all who are interested in the value of staying focused on an established mission. This book clearly demonstrates how a clear mission to sanctify the world deteriorated into an internal mission of sanctifying a denoninational church called the Church of God in Christ. From the founding of the Church of God in Christ with the support of Bishop Charles Harrison Mason, Mother Lizzie Woods Robinson and Mother Lillian Brooks Coffey created a standard for both personal sanctification and in extending the influence of the Church in the world through active participation in civic activities to elevate the quality of life for all. They followed the lifting as we climb strategy into social prominence and respectability in the community at-large. The emphasis in the Church went from dressing to look holy to dressing to reflect your status in the Church organization and in civic afairs. This book also addressed the unresolved issue of what to do with and about women of influence in the ministry and in the Church's organizational structure especially as they out-distanced the male leaders under whom they are supposed to serve. Unfortunately for women in the Church of God in Christ, it seems that their role in the second half of the twentieth century declined as the Church went through a period of turmoil after the death of the founder and the nation as a whole experienced the civil rights movement and the resurgence of the feminist movement in the 1970s which forced Church women to retreat to more traditional subservient roles. This is a marvelous study of the rise and decline of women power in the Church of God in Christ which also coincides with the decline in the Church's influence in cvic affairs.

I belive this book merits the G.K. Gilbert award;it explores aspects of geomorphology that have rarely been featured in the published literature. Butler is obviously an expert in this field.

This book is well-written, well-illustrated, and well worth the read. I wish its pricing made it more accessible to students of geomorphology. Concepts have international implications. Highly recommended.

The book kept me interested, for the most part, but I never accepted the basic premise: that conspiracies, involving large numbers of people, can be maintained for the long haul. There is always the chance, the fear that just one of those inside the plot will "get religion" or sell their story to the tabloids, in which case there is pluperfect hell to pay. Not even the mob is leak proof all the time.

Conspiracies seem to abound with this jury, and the reader is never quite sure who is doing what and to whom. Piles and piles of money are at stake when a tobacco company is sued for selling the cigarettes that allegedly killed a man. If the suit is successful, more suits will surely follow, and more piles and piles of money will be at stake.

This being the case, it is logical to believe that tobacco companies might want to tamper just a tad with the juries. Ditto on Wall Street. But the people who run tobacco companies are not lamebrains, even though they may not be entirely forthcoming with the truth about their product. They know that if they get caught fixing the jury, the jig is up for them. Subtlety and deniability are paramount. But in this book, those two elements seem to be missing, and that's where the plot falls of its own weight.

The characters are nicely drawn. The courtroom feels real enough. The dialogue is right. Not being a lawyer, I can't comment on the legalities, but they sound OK. All I know is that I didn't accept the basic premise, and that is absolutely essential for the enjoyment of a book.

After my husband finsished this book on our vacation in 1996, I took a look at it and couldn't put it down!!! This was the first Grisham novel I ever read. Boy, was I hooked.

(I saw the Pelican Brief at the theatre when it came out; I went with my sister who read the book and said that she was so happy that the movie followed the book so closely. Of course there were subtle differences to benefit the needs of Hollywood.)

So, I waited and waited.... for the Runaway Jury movie to come out... it was so nice to be able to read a book before the movie came out and to be so excited to see how the wonderful book you read is adapted to the big screen! I was not disappointed!

If you haven't read this book and you like suspense, you've got to read it! You won't want to put it down.

If you haven't seen the movie, read the book FIRST!

Enjoy!!!

With all the new interest in non-Star Wars material, I decided to give John Grisham a chance. My mom recommended this particular book for me to start off with.

Plot:
The setting is Biloxi, Mississippi. The cast: twelve men and women. Their purpose? To determine if the widow of a man that smoked three packs of cigarettes per day should be compensated for her loss. The problem? There are people who will do and pay anything to see that the lawsuit turns out to their benefit.

Good:
The story is good. I enjoyed reading about the smoking trial, the evidence that each side provided supporting or discrediting smoking, and the antics of the trial. And I was impressed and amazed at the careful planning and strategy that Marlee and Nicholas Easter had to go through in order for their ploy to succeed.
Further, Grisham imbues this novel with subtle humor--nothing gut-wrenching, but just enough to ease back on the tension that grows with each page. Very well done and crafted.
The characters were pretty good on the whole. They are well-described, unique people thrown together against their will. They may be good, corrupt, indifferent, selfish, young, old but they are real. I was especially fond of Fitch, the villain, probably because it seems oxymoronic that a man who was addicted to alcohol would support smoking. The other character I enjoyed was Herman Grimes, partially because he seemed to be the only incorruptible one in the jury.

Bad:
The story may be good...but it takes a long time to get there. My book had 550 pages. While a lot happens in those pages and Grisham paces it well enough so you don't get bored, you still reach a point where you ask yourself, "Is this going anywhere?" "Where's the end?" and "Why is this important?"
Also, the protagonists (primary, at least), Nicholas Easter and Marlee were rather cold and unemotional. I tried to sympathize with them and like them, but they just weren't a likeable team. I was impressed with their ploy, but I had no feelings for them--not like many of the other characters (Hoppy, Derrick, etc.). Further, the explanation for why Nicholas and Marlee go through the hoopla of the trial makes little sense in light of the crazy events revealed in the conclusion.
Lastly, the story is rather far-fetched. It seems hard to believe that Easter would have been able to "hack in" to the jury system so quickly and easily, especially considering that Marlee and Easter are working independently on her own money. Also, Judge Harkin sure makes a lot of allowances for his rebellious jury that seems too placating. These and a million other convenient coincidences make it more difficult for a realistically minded person to enjoy this.

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Curse words consist mostly of da**, he**, sh**, bi***, and so on. Very mild compared to other books of its kind.
I was impressed with how Grisham was able to detail a sexual situation without going into graphic detail. However, there are still several scenes to note. When in sequestration, the jurors are allotted "Conjugal Rights". Sexual situations are described in a round-about manner on several occasions. Jerry and Poodle have a liaison (and Jerry is going through a divorce).
Violence is minimal to none. A man is threatened to force his wife to vote a particular way. Fitch has a bad temper.

Overall:
A very long book. That is my first thought after finishing this one. And one in which it is hard to root for the "good" guys, who have no feelings to sympathize with. And with a very confusing ending. However, I enjoyed the trial on such a controversial subject, learning how each side was duplicitous, and seeing the individual jurors. 3.5 rounded generously to 4 (for good writing, good humor, and suspense).

i wanted this sent to somewhere other than my home address and it was easy to do and got there perfectly without problems. great job!

What an entertaining book. Who cares if it's not 'believable' as someone said in their review, it's a story not a documentary. This novel is engrossing, the characters are FUNNY and the pictures created for your mind as you read, are priceless. I found the information about how jurors are chosen and the ultimate [or should I say potential] corruption involved in huge trials, to be amazing. I can only IMAGINE the shenanigans involved in say, an OJ Simpson-type trial. I've only recently discovered Grisham books so I have lots of discovery and enjoyment to look forward to. What a great writer, who can shape characters and make them so amusing!

i read this book right after dracula and well, it's definitely a good read and an edge of your seat thriller. it has stood the test of time in terms of it's theme and lesson.

for the people who hated this book and gave it poor reviews. Really missed out on what may be the greatest novel of all time. For me it's hard to put down. And the themes are deep and everlasting ones that humans will forever struggle with. Life and death, God vs science, good and evil, spiritual themes, and social ones also, all wrapped up in a GREAT story. Oh well, you can't expect everyone to get it and resonate with it.

One thing about this Rieger version: it says it "reproduces for the first time in more than a century the text of the first edition published in 1818". Not true. Donohue produced at least three editions (I have them) around 1895 that are all the 1818 text.
Just an FYI.

Believe the hype! This book is hard to surpass. I virtually never give 5 stars to ANYTHING. This deserves it.

Once you read Shelley's classic you're going to scratch your head and wonder: Is this really the book that gave us the Karloff movie? Not to mention Herman Munster and Frankenberry. For over a century and half people have been cannibalizing this book for ideas, movies, other books, and products of every size, shape and type that our modern concept of Frankenstein holds little to no resemblence to the master work. While occasionally these bastardizations have had enjoyable results, like Young Frankenstein, it's criminal that so few people are unfamiliar with the source. Do yourself a favor and find out where it all came from. It's not nearly as creepy as you may think, but it's infinitely more thought provoking and it certainly doesn't hurt that this version is beautifully published at a very reasonable price.

It is pretty surprising that something come up with almost on a whim to
provide a diversion has come to be such an important text for two
genres, both horror and science fiction.

Victor Frankenstein's obsession with the creation of life ultimately ends in tragedy and death for those around him.

Most editions of Mary Shelley's landmark book available today follow the heavily revised 1831 version. The impulse behind this trend is an honorable one (to present what is seemingly an author's "final revision"),but the 1818 version is preferable for many reasons. Looking back on her creation in later life, Shelley felt obliged to alter the book's focus in significant ways, adding what critic Marilyn Butler accurately describes as "long passages in which her main narrator, [Victor] Frankenstein, expresses religious remorse for making a creature..." The author sought to make the 1831 edition less controversial and thereby more palatable to the tastes of the reading public. The 1818 version is closer to Mary Shelley's original intentions, though it too, unfortunately, was filtered through the sensibilities of her husband, the poet Percy Shelley, who took many of his wife's rather straightforward passages and rendered them into his own more ornate and Ciceronian style. Still, the 1818 version remains more vital, more original, and less constrained by what the author believed would be acceptable to readers in 1830s England.

Usually, I enjoy the A-list, but she's way, WAY too descriptive in this book. The writing's a bit messy too. First of all, she insists on her characters going to a new restaurant, bar, etc. in nearly every chapter. This would be okay, if she didn't launch into a multi-page monologue describing the location. I do like description, but she's taking away from the story. I had to skip over paragraphs so I could read things that actually matter to the story. Right when she started her not-so-poetic waxing, I thought "Here she goes again!"

This same issue applies to her need to describe how the person is looking. Yes, it's essential for teen novels to note how she's wearing her hair or what designer his suit is, but in short and sweet chapters it just takes away from the story. Again, I love reading about people's outfits, but it's too much!

She did other things to make the novel layout messy, like stating in paragraphs what was about to be said in character's quotes. Other things like that were done. Subtle, yes, but oh-so annoying. Kind of like a mosquito buzzing in your ear.

The plot was good, and the ending seemed right, but the thing I'll remember most about the final edition of the A-List was over-describing and other nuances. Zoey- if I wanted to read never-ending descriptions, I would have picked up a brochure, okay?

Great ending to the series. I was sad and happy all at once to see Anna and the gang go on with their lives. I am anxiously waiting to see what Zoey Dean comes out with next.

Previously in The A-List: Cammie and Anna had to work together on a fashion show, against their will, after getting caught trespassing on private property. Sam was trying to keep all the pieces in her life together, while Caine and Adam ran out of luck.

Now the A-Listers are back and this time, it's every person for themselves.

Anna wants to get away and clear her head since everything unexpected that has been happening to her. And so, along with her traveling buddy, instead of going to Mexico, her and Sam are off to Anna's hometown, New York. But Sam is there with a different motive: Could her boyfriend possibly be hiding something from her? So now playing private detective is the only way to solve her problems.

Back in L.A., Cammie isn't wasting her time staying single. She needs, no wants, to move on, and since Ben and Anna aren't really a couple now, Ben is looking better by the minute. Besides, she had already warned Anna about her plans if things didn't work out with Adam.

But does Anna really need Ben, since she is trying to become more independent, and now has someone from her past back in her life, possibly for good? And will Cammie successfully snag Ben, or will Ben wait for the one who he says he loves?

Another drama-filled installment that will leave us wanting more, BEAUTIFUL STRANGER will not disappoint any fan of the series. Look out for the next one, A-List #10, The: California Dreaming: An A-List Novel (A-List), releasing in April 2008.

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

Although very unrealistic this book is a great way to loose yourself. Whenever i was upset because of something or someone i would pick up this book and read. It was a wonderful distraction reading about someone else's pain/love/frendships. This book is amazing

The best book of the series! a true shocker, makes your jaw drop open, very surprising!