Bradley Reviews

Heritage and Exile

Published in Mass Market Paperback by DAW (2002-04-01)

Author: Marion Zimmer Bradley

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Average review score:

Great writing kept alive!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-03

I was happy to see this and other older stories by MZB in this form since when I first found her books, sadly, most were out of print. Thank you doing this so that others can read and enjoy her superb works!

Forbidden Love

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-11-11

"Heritage and Exile" is an omnibus edition of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Heritage of Hastur/Sharra's Exile Darkover novels. It shows a natural link between the two stories. Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover world is a fascinating blend of science fiction and fantasy. The Sharra matrix (an image of an enchained woman,used for forging weapons&fire) wreaks havoc upon the world of Darkover.

In "Heritage of Hastur",Regis Hastur,the Comyn heir,finds himself enamored of the Cristoforo (Christian) Danilo Syrtis. Regis rescues Danilo from an abusive situation, learning that Danilo is a catalyst telepath. They realize their forbidden love. Regis makes Danilo his paxman,and they adopt sons. "Heritage of Hastur" was recognized as revolutionary in the world of mainstream fantasy/sci-fi with its gay leading character,despite the fact Regis has visions of a shadowy woman beside him who will one day be his companion. It's as if Bradley were depicting homosexuality as a developmental stage,as a rite of passage for his eventual marriage.

In "Sharra's Exile",Lew Alton finds himself bearing the Sharra matrix. He loses the woman he loves; the story ends with him a broken man. Lew Alton has psychic gifts--but they are also burdens.

"Heritage and Exile" is a fascinating,heady blend of science fiction and fantasy.

I tried

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-27

One thing I hate is to leave a book unfinished. Therefore I tried again and again to go on reading to give a full review.

I failed.

There is nothing exactly wrong in Ms Zimmer Bradley's writing: she is a professional, a real competent one, she makes not one of the mistakes a less distinguished author is liable to.
Her world is potentially very interesting and her characters fully rounded.

Nevertheless I never got involved in the story, I never could relate with the characters, I only got bored and cannot really say why.

Best Darkover novels

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-08

This novels togheter are maybe the best of all Darkover novels. After reading more than 10 of the Bradley`s saga, I must say this are the one`s I`ve enjoyed the most. First they`re about the destiny of the planet itself, and history of the Comyn as we know, but not only that, the whole story is told by the eyes of Regis Hastur and Lew Alton, maybe two of the best characters trough the Darkover saga, and their personal struggles are a big plus to the story. Unfortunaly you have to endure some of the lesser novels to really grasp and enjoy this one, altough it`s said that you can read Darkover novels all but separated, the truth is when you have more background story from previous novels, all the better. DON`T MISS THIS ONES!

Two classic novels of Darkover

Helpful Votes: 20 out of 21 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-21

This two-in-one volume combines the already classic "Darkover" novels THE HERITAGE OF HASTUR (1975) and its direct sequel SHARRA'S EXILE (1981). If you have yet to discover the magic of Marion Zimmer Bradley's legendary creation, this a perfect volume to get introduced to the world of the bloody sun and its inhabitants. Read about the unwilling Comyn heir Regis Hastur, his forbidden love to his paxman Danilo Syrtis. Read about the dangerous Sharra matrix, a conspiration to overthrow the Comyn Council and numerous other wonders of the world of the red sun. Do not miss it.

The Minimalist Garden

Published in Hardcover by Monacelli (1999-12-06)

Author: Christopher Bradley-Hole

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Average review score:

Lot of pictures and few contents

Helpful Votes: 13 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-30

This book is a neat collection of photographs which show the several appearances that a minimalist garden could take. Some of them are very well know for anybody who has read a gardening book once at least. Tadao Ando, John Pawson and Claudio Silvestrin among others famous architects had been chosen as well as icons in minimalism concept like Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto. There are few pictures from a wide range of gardens all around the world and a brief explanation of each one. There are some hints of what minimalism is, but it is not a deep and accurate publication about minimalism and the way a garden should be built following minimalist principles. But if you are looking for a book with beautiful and inspiring photographs and very well designed this book is what you need.

Detail, utility, beauty

Helpful Votes: 20 out of 22 total.
Review Date: 2000-02-23

If you're looking for an invaluable resource to assist you in the creation and enjoyment of a certain type of streamlined garden, you've found it. *The Minimalist Garden* is a trove of useful and detailed information about the theory and praxis of, well, minimalist gardening. I was thrilled to find that such a book exists, and happier still to put it to use. I particularly liked the detailed guides in the rear section, and the overall sense that minimalism need mean neither a slavish imitation of Ryoan-ji nor a flat modernist sea of polished granite. My only caveats are that the book is riddled with typos and misprints - which is simply unacceptable in any book, let alone a Monacelli tome that'll set you back $50 - and that too many of the photographs used to illustrate the projects are recycled from the front section. And (a quibble really) it would have been nice to see the project that Larry Ellison decreed for his stately pleasure-dome, instead of Charles Jencks' soi-disant "chaos" garden, which is really starting to get overexposed, aside from being a misprision of contemporary complexity theory. Overall, the book you want and need if you find both elements in the title appealing.

Probably expecting too much from this book.

Helpful Votes: 31 out of 34 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-02

I waited for the book's arrival with high expectation after reading such rave reviews from the readers in Amazon. Whilst this book is well-presented with structured discussions in the topics of extended home, courtyard gardens, roof gardens & terraces, pools & water gardens, country gardens, landscape gardens, plants & materials, I expected more meat from this book. I found that there are too many recycled pictures used ie pictures of the same thing but taken from different angles, or pictures been used from previous chapters in order to illustrate the writer's points. Many high profile properties by world famous architects are used such as by Tadao Ando, John Pawson, Glen Murcutt, Luis Barragan, & so forth but then again, their works were already covered in other architectural or landscaping books. Therefore, for avid readers like myself, most of the freshness is no longer there. Having said that, index provided at the end of the book (containing suggested plants for minimalist gardens) is very handy indeed. The writer is helpful enough to suggest what goes with what. Some pictures of the plants are featured & some don't which could be quite frustrating at times but then again, I might be expecting too much. On the bright side, there's a website provided for those readers who wish to seek further info upon the writer. I wouldn't say this book is the ultimate or the must have for the minimalist garden but then again, it's a book worth looking into. I wish this book contains more discussion & pictures on those historical Japanese zen gardens so that we could understand in-depth about the fundamental of minimalist garden but alas, only the world famous Ryoan-ji garden in Kyoto, Japan is featured, which is only been touched upon briefly. One of the highlight of that garden is that irrespective of where you stand in that garden, you would always see only 14 stones rather than the whole 15 which is supposed to be there, which implies to you the ingenuity & the clever planning of the landscape architect of the past (which isn't even mentioned in this book!) Then again, I might be expecting too much. Be warned that some suggested planting in the book might not be practical in the long run despite that the pictures illustrated look a million bucks. For examples, the usage of silver birch trees, they might look good now in cluster planting or when they are small but when they have grown, & when they are going to seed, they could be a pain in the backside. From our experience, axe would come in rather handy in those situation. Planting of various kinds of grasses could be nice but unless you maintain them on regular basis, they might look rather messy in the end. Whilst minimalist garden provides the serene effect, unless we use restrain & commitment to maintain, it might not be the easiest garden to have. To achieve the nice effects as illustrated in the pictures, substantial money needs to be expended such as frameless conservatory. Desert garden is only workable if the weather of the place is suitable. The desert plants would only rot to the root if it is introduced in an equatorial countries, for argument's sake. In that token, the writer should discuss not only the pros of his suggestions but also their cons as well.

Great inspiration

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2000-03-31

What stands out about this book are the incredible photographs, showing the endless possibilities using textures, colors and shapes in designing gardens and landscapes. This is not a book about traditional garden design but rather about architectural landscapes. Wonderful layout and pictures that really inspire.

Inspirational Garden Book of the Year

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 1999-12-20

We are very pleased to announce that 'The Minimalist Garden' has been awarded the Inspirational Garden Book of the Year 1999 by the Garden Writers' Guild in London.

Mark Fletcher, Executive Editor, Mitchell Beazley

Mri: the Basics

Published in Paperback by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (1997-01-15)

Authors: Ray H. Hashemi and William G. Bradley

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Average review score:

student approved

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-11

The book gives a nice summary of everything involved in MRI without being too brief or too in depth.

It has the basics all alright...

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2001-11-09

My feeling about this book is mixed. It was my first introductory book to MRI, and it did get me into the field very quickly. However the chapter that describes frequency encoding and phase encoding is so badly written (the description is misleading, if not completely wrong at some points) that the treatment of k-space does not make sense. This makes the understanding of more advanced pulse sequences difficult, if not impossible without extra sources of information.

Since there really isn't that many choices for a beginner, this is a passable book. Just remember that the signal processing part of the book is inconsistent and misleading. Always consult a more technical book (for example, Liang and Lauterbur) when in doubt.

far fewer holes than Mitchell MRI

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-01

Though there are a lot of equations in this book, it is far more conceptual than the widely accepted Mitchell MRI book, and not as mathematically oriented as you would think at first glance. If you are starting out in MRI, read this book first and you'll have a good foundation for further learning. Mitchell's book, on the other hand, is too confusing for the first timer, and might cause you significant confusion when you move to other MR physics books because you are missing the fundamentals. Overall I highly recommend this book to any M.D. who wants to know fundamental MRI physics.

Passable introductory book

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2001-11-09

"MRI:the Basics" was my first introduction to MRI. It did get me into the field quickly. However, there are some major flaws in this book.

The chapters on frequency/phase encoding is badly written. The basic mechanics is described in an imprecise way that it is misleading, if not completely wrong at some points. This leads to inconsistencies in many places, and makes the treatment of k-space unsatisfying. (That's pretty much all the major important topics in basic MRI!)

I still recommend it to newbies. But always consult a more technical book (for example, Liang and Lauterbur) when in doubt.

User-freindly guide to the complexities of MRI

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2000-05-24

This 300 page paper back has 400 high quality and relevant illustrations (mainly diagrams and line drawings) that greatly help to illustrate some otherwise difficult-to-grasp concepts. The emphasis is on the how and why of magnetic resonance imaging, not on the interpretation of the images.

The authors have successfully negotiated the narrow difference between a book that is filled with mind numbing details and one which is over simplified with a trivial approach. While not getting bogged down in minutia that are endlessly fascinating to physicists, but demoralizing to many physicians, they haven't avoided the concepts which form the basis of MRI such as, K-space, Fourier transform and pulse sequences. Nor have newer scanning techniques that involve tissue suppression and MRA been slighted.

At the end of each chapter a succinct "Key Points" section emphasizes the most relevant features of the preceeding chapter. Also included at the end of each chapter is a self-assessment quiz (with answers at the end of the book).

This book is excellent for MR technologists, radiology residents in board preparation and non-radiolgist physicians who want to get up-to-speed in this exciting and rapidly growing subdiscipline of diagnostic imaging.

If this book were a movie, I would give it an enthusiastic, "Two Thumbs Up."

My Juliet

Published in Hardcover by Doubleday (2000-08-15)

Author: John Ed Bradley

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Average review score:

Interesting

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-06-27

Normally, I am not really a fan of mysteries. I am however, a New Orleanean who loves to read books pertaining to the area and in that regard, this is one of the best I have ever come across. The story itself is more than decent, but the rich descriptions of the city are what more than held me captive. You want to feel sorry for the main character, Sonny due to his undying love for a crazed woman who keeps breaking his heart over and over again, but mid-way through the novel you want to scream at him "WAKE UP!!!" This is book I would highly recommend to other readers.

memories of home

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-05-24

i read this one because i haven't been down south in three years and lately i've been reading southern books, just out of sentimentality....this story is ruthless. it's a bout a man's obsession with a woman who has him pegged; he knows she is bad for him, but he loves her anyway. every man has had at least one woman in his life who was that way( and probably yearns for another ) sonny is one of those artists who probably knows he bad, but he does it because he doesn't know how to do any thing else...he makes for an interesting psychological profile.

but the book is all about juliet....

man, this woman is the epitome of the psychowoman from hell...the things she says and does freaked me out totally...if the story was just about the realtionship between sonny and juliet, i would have given it five stars...but mr bradley, had to do a james m. cain, and give us a crime story... i wasn't that impressed...

still the book was cool, just to " see " new orleans again...sometimes, i do miss it......

Loved the start

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-01-13

This book has a fantastic beginning! For me, there is nothing than a good novel from the American south, and this book starts out just that way! The characters are astounding! Juliet has it all! The things that drive us and the characters in the book to her and the same things that drive us away. What a powerful start! About midway, the book takes a turn towards a mundane murder mystery. As a police mystery, the book was not nearly as interesting as it was as a Southern novel. The ending was even weaker. I enjoyed it, but wished that Bradley had continued his write to his strengths to the end.

Hot New Orleans Nights!

Helpful Votes: 16 out of 17 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-19

Wow! What a woman! This Juliet is unlike any character I've ever encountered in life or in fiction. This novel is like New Orleans itself; gorgeous and fun loving on the outside, steamy, sexy, and decaying on the inside. Poor Sonny LaMott! He has the bad luck to fall in love with Juliet, a person of almost no morals and no interest in anything but herself and her own pleasure. Like 'Tupelo Nights,' 'My Juliet' is a terrific read. It is a dark and twisted woman who leads us down a dark and twisted path. A path that is ultimately satisfying because the writing is so wonderful, the characters unforgettable, and the story so seductive.

LOVED this book!

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2000-10-06

"My Juliet" by John Ed Bradley is a departure for me. It's not really a book that I would be drawn too, but I was so wrong. It was dramatic, emotional, harsh, and crafty. I was fascinated by this tale of two people who are wildly drawn to each other. Their love is dangerous and not healthy. But, you can't stop reading...just like you can't help but look at a car accident. It was tumultuous read, and I was absorbed by these people. Almost obsessively so. I think that if you're a "real" reader with patience and a knowledge of good literature you'll appreciate what the author was trying to do. He was successful and I was enchanted. Wonderful Book!

My Scandalous Bride

Published in Mass Market Paperback by St. Martin's Paperbacks (2004-05-16)

Authors: Christina Dodd, Stephanie Laurens, Celeste Bradley, and Leslie Lafoy

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Average review score:

so-so at best

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-02-03

As always, anthologies are a hit or miss situation. The stories are short so there is not much character or situation development which is why the short stories that are about couples who have previous relationships work best. That was the set-up for most of these stories.

"The Lady and the Tiger' by Christina Dodd was a poor story. Laura's brother, first secretary to Lord Keith Leighton, dies and she decides to find his killer. Really, I know regency/romance authors go for this sort of spunky heroine sort of thing, but it was sort of silly. To catch a spy does require some experience but apparently not in romance stories. Laura is a commoner and Keith a noble. The romance between the out of place Laura in the glittering regency world could have been interesting but never explored. But when Laura ties up Keith when she thinks he is to blame for her brothers death and leaves him in a dangerous situation which could have resulted in his death, well, he certainly took it in stride. I would not have been as forgiving as Keith. A one star story at best.

"Melting Ice" by Stephanie Laurens has our hero, Dyan St. Laurent, Dare, coming home to take his brothers place as Duke and meets up with an old flame at a house party rife with orgies. Story was better than the others as it was fun to watch him rescue her and I liked her bookish brother. But refusing to marry him the morning after even after she had realized the miscommunication years earlier made for zero sense.

"Wedding Knight" by Celeste Bradley was just stupid. The fact that Kitty takes her sisters place and marries Knight and when he founds out he forgives her? It would have been more realistic if she had to fight for him to prove her love not the other way around.

"Proposition" by Leslie LaFoy has Lord Rennick St. James fighting for his beloved Julia Hamilton, a widow, who is all set to marry yet again a man she does not love. This story too made no sense. It was not as if she even liked the man she was to marry. He was as jerk!!!! He could not remember her children's names and she would marry him? Why? She was not poor so money was not a factor. That just was illogical. Also, she loved Rennick and after the four days, why would she not believe him? That made no sense. I did like that she was 33 but really, to already have a 16 year old son was sort of stretching it for me. Also, I think that too many authors fail to properly finish their stories. If Rennick dies without legal issue, the estates and title would die. He married an older woman so did they have any children or not? Would be fun to know. After all, if the story of Henry VIII ended with his marriage to Anne Boleyn, we might have assumed everything worked out! So as an FYI to authors, finish your stories!!!

A mixed bag but better than the usual anthology

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-13

Christina Dodd's story is first and, sadly, abysmal. The tale is almost entirely unbelieveable, but perhaps the worst part is that I don't believe they're in love. Dodd does not convince the reader that these two people knew each other well enough before the night of the story to act as they do. I had hopes for it, but it just kept getting worse. The few really nice moments could not counteract the pathetic whole. 1 measley star.

Stephanie Laurens' entry is better at 2 1/2 to 3 stars. The raucus house party is a poor device for getting the lovers together, but the two leads make even that work. The story is lovely in places, particularly the dinner scene and at the end (with her brother). It's about a love that's denied through youthful misunderstandings getting a second chance. It's also typical Laurens, with heavy emphasis on sex.

Celeste Bradley raises the bar again with her marvelous story about an arrogant, obnoxious hero who finally redeems himself and a fresh, provocative, unique heroine who is the best leading lady of the bunch. There is some incredulity at times that nobody can tell these not-quite-identical twins apart, but the story is still great fun. 4 stars.

This is my first experience with Leslie LaFoy, but it won't be my last; hers is the best story in the book (5 stars). Rennick is the epitome of the reformed rack & Julia's his loving but sensible love interest. This is an excellent variation on the typical plot with Julia being an older woman (in her 30s) who was happily married...at least until she met Rennick. They fall instantly in love, but both respect her husband and her marriage vows too much to act on their feelings and attraction. Then hubby dies. But before Rennick gets the chance to sweep her off her feet, she gets engaged to someone else. And her fiance? Gads! This little story has a wealth of wisdom for life in it, too. Superb!

Buy the book for the last two stories. They're good enough to make it worthwhile.

Five stars for the last two stories

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-29

As the editorial states, this is a star studded line-up. I rated this book five stars, but that's because I only read the last two stories, and they were both worth five stars. I don't normally read either Christina Dodd or Stephanie Laurens, and I didn't read those stories here, so I can't comment on them.

Celeste Bradley is one of my favorite authors, (she's why I actually picked up this book, truthfully), and true to form, this story was excellent - and exactly what you would come to expect from Celeste Bradley - a *really* strong and unusual heroine, lots of twists and turns to the storyline, and most of all, lots of fun. I absolutely *adore* strong heroines, so this story had my votes from the start. It does suffer a little bit because of the length, this IS a short story, so it resolves quite quickly, but all in all, good enough for five stars.

This was about two twin sisters, Kitty and Bitty, Bitty is getting married, and Kitty is left out of the fun. Until... Bitty gets cold feet at the last moment, and Kitty decides to try to save the day by pretending that she is Bitty... just for a *very* short time. Truthfully, this plot has been done before, but this one was just done *so very well*, Kitty and Bitty are both truly hilarious (each in their own way). If I had a complaint to make I would perhaps say that Kitty is a bit *too* strong in a heroine - but that's not possible (a heroine can't be too strong) so I won't say it. When I mean a strong heroine, I mean it, I don't mean strong-until-the-man-comes-in-to-save-the-day. Like I said before, this story suffers from the length, I would have liked to see more of a reconciliation at the end.

This was the first I've read of Leslie Lafoy, and I have to admit that I was quite impressed. The writing was excellent, really, really unusually good, and there was a good storyline, plus character development, there as well. This one also suffered because of the length - the dilemma the heroine finds herself is a hard one, and was resolved much too easily. But even so, this was still a five star read. I will definitely be searching out more books by this author!

I do enjoy these short story anthologies, because as a general rule I like short stories better than long ones (due to my time crunch - I hate waiting a few days to find out the ending of a story) and as a bonus, you get to find some excellent new authors. And although some anthologies, are, to be blunt, somewhat stupid, this one was, IMO, definitely worth reading.

four fun nineteenth century historical romances

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-05-08

"The Lady and the Tiger' by Christina Dodd. In 1813, Laura Haver obsesses over who killed her brother, first secretary to Lord Keith Leighton. Clues take her to a smuggler's cove where she poses as Keith's wife not knowing that her "husband" is there seeking the identity of who murdered his employee.

"Melting Ice" by Stephanie Laurens. After a decade in India, Dyan St. Laurent Dare comes home when his brother died making him a duke and quickly wants Lady Fiona Winston-Ryder as his wife because he loves her. A debauched gala gives him the opportunity to serve as her gallant rescuer and hopefully forever lover.

"Wedding Knight" by Celeste Bradley. In 1813 Alfred Knight avoids scandal so no one can point the finger that he is just like his mother, which leads to his agreeing to wed Betina Trapp who wants nothing to do with him. Betina persuades her twin Kitty to take her place temporarily as Alfred's fiancée. Kitty falls in love but she fears he will drop her once the subsequent scandal erupts that the switch will cause.

"Proposition" by Leslie LaFoy. In 1877 Lord Rennick St. James knows that the clock is ticking against him as the woman he always loved Julia Hamilton is engaged to someone else. Just back in England, he has four days to seduce the widow into marrying him or face cold self imposed exile again.

These four nineteenth century historical romances are fine novellas that fans will appreciate because the lead couple in each case seems genuine as they star in a scandalous fun frolic.

Harriet Klausner

Do You Take This Woman?

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-17

The heroine, Laura Haver, in Christina Dodd's The Lady and the Tiger is out to avenge the death of her brother. She sets out on her own investigative mission and enters into a fabricated marriage to get to her target. What she does not anticipate is the unbridled passion that develops between them.

In Melting Ice by Stephanie Laurens, childhood sweethearts Dyan St. Laurent and Lady Fiona have found each other and the love they lost in a most uncommon place, an orgy! Despite their odd meeting they clear up all misconceptions that have kept them separated for years and rekindle the fire between them.

Alfred Knight, in Celeste Bradley's Wedding Knight, has lived his entire life trying to avoid scandal. Little does he know he will marry directly into it when he chooses his bride to be. She is nothing she appears to be, but everything he needs.

Julia Hamilton, a recent widow, is now engaged to be married in three days, but a secret love has returned and intends to seduce her and make her his wife. Leslie LaFoy's The Proposition keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering who will Julia choose.

Not one for romance, I found myself enjoying the four tales of love, lust and deceit. These ladies know their craft and have converted me into a fan of romantic fiction.

Reviewed by Aiesha Flowers
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

The Pilgrim's Progress: Study Guide

Published in Paperback by P & R Publishing (1994-05)

Author: Maureen L. Bradley

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Average review score:

I dont understand it!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 72 total.
Review Date: 1999-06-02

does any one have a ten page report on this book that they can give me if so please download it asap! thank you very much!

A Great Book!

Helpful Votes: 17 out of 21 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-14

This is the original "Life Application Bible." I now understand why it is considered the 2nd most influential book ever written (the Bible being the first). The story is timeless. It applies to us now as much as it did to its original readers in the 1600s. Fabulously written! If King James English is too cumbersome for you, try the Modern English version. It is very true to the original. It is exceptionaly inspiring.

Excellent Study Guide

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-23

We used Maureen Bradley's book as a study guide in our Women's Bible Study. The commentary is excellent with lots of interesting historical detail. She brings in the writings various Puritans and shares other writers thoughts about Pilgrim's Progress. The questions are not your typical "dumb" study guide questions. They are probing, get to the heart of Bunyan's message and prompt great discussions. I can't recommend this study guide enough and I highly recommend it for individual or group use.

The Pilgrims Progress

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-03

This is a wonderful book. The language can be a bit difficult, however the story line is adventuresome and exciting. Christian, the main character, begins his life as an average person in the city of destruction. Symbolically, over the course of his life, he overcomes temptation and reaches the Celestial City, heaven, his ultimate goal as a christian.

The Pilgrims Progress

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-03

This is a wonderful book. The language can be a bit difficult, however the story line is adventuresome and exciting. Christian, the main character, begins his life as an average person in the city of destruction. Symbolically, over the course of his life, he overcomes temptation and reaches the Celestial City, heaven, his ultimate goal as a christian.

Professional Responsibility: Examples and Explanations (Examples & Explanations)

Published in Paperback by Aspen Publishers (2004-06)

Author: W. Bradley Wendel

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Average review score:

Warning! Portions out of Date

Helpful Votes: 15 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-08

I am generally quite a fan of the Examples and Explanations series and this is generally true of PR. The book provides a good overview of the various topics, including a integration of appropriate concepts from the Federal Rules, common law, the Model Rules and the Model Code. In terms of overall concept-based teaching, the book does a fine job.

However, the book is out of date. Though it carries a 2004 copyright date, it omits some serious changes to the Model Rules in 2003, notably changes to Rule 1.6 (see, e.g. page 164 of the book if you bought it). In the introduction the author notes changes made in 2003--which might lead the reader to believe such changes were included in the text of the book, though that does not appear to have happened. No errata is offered on the publisher's website (listed in the book as www.aspenpublishers.com), nor on the author's law school website. Such errors often make me question the basis of the rest of the book.

Furthermore, for those using the book primarily to help understand the Model Rules, there is no index or table indicating where specifc rules are discussed. Yes, the index contains a topical listing, but a rule-by-rule lising would be very helpful for this topic (the BarBri PR supplement, for example, contains such a list). So if you know, for example, that you need help undertanding Rule 4.1, there is no way to find those pages in the Examples and Explanations book.

Hopefully the author or publisher will take note of these issues and correct them in an upcoming version or include a note about needed changes.

dont rely on this book for MPRE

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-06

This book is a great overview to professional responsibility and very interesting but if you rely on it to take the MPRE you will fail. only write this for people out there like me who are taking a second Bar and MPRE after moving to another state, years after completing law school, and looking for MPRE study materials online. There arent ANY MPRE TEST QUESTIONS IN HERE - you have to do old tests, tons of them, to pass.

Saved me!

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-06

This Examples & Explanations supplement saved me! My current textbook was literally just crap and I just wasn't sure what I was supposed to be getting out the readings. But reading this book through, it made it so much clearer. I delayed getting this book, because the review below me mentioned that portions were out of date. It is not completely true, however. Yes, there are some sections where the Rules are misnumbered (due to the 2003 amendments), but the author corrects it by telling you what the new Rule number is. I was very careful when reading this chapter because of the warning of the other reviewer, but I have yet to find anything incorrect with the information. Yes, maybe the author could have taken the time to just change the numbers of the rules instead of adding footnotes, but the book does the job anyway. I highly recommend it.

Great Prep for the MPRE!

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-22

I took the MPRE in NY (where the minimum passing score is 85) without having taken a course in Professional Responsibility either through law school or one of the bar-prep companies. I read this book once, took a practice examination available at the MPRE website, and scored 108. As with most of the Aspen E&E series books, this is a great introduction to an area of the law that you have to know. It is easy to read, and works well for MPRE preparation.

Great

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-31

This is an excellent supplement for professional responsibility. An excellent summary of the ABA Rules. The examples were also very helpful in preparing for the final examination.

Best There Ever Was

Published in Paperback by Bantam Doubleday Dell (1991-10-17)

Author: John Ed Bradley

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Average review score:

One of The Best Page-Turners Ever

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-03-21

The BEST find in recent years. I found this book at a discount store which sold over-runs. The title caught my interest, and the dust jacket synopsis sold me. I covered the 336 pages in only 2 days.

John Ed Bradley has done a fantastic job of bringing very complex and interesting characters to life. His writing is so fresh and visual. Mr. Bradley's style is very unique and wonderful to read.

This is a "must read" for any football fan. But it's more than a football story. Actually, very little occurs on the field. John Ed provides a very human look into a man who is larger than life and seems willed to self-destruction. It is an excellent character study with elements of drama and comedy which manages to hold your attention and fascination.

The Southern tones and dialogue add a rich texture to Coach's story. It is very a bittersweet story that you will not forget for some time.

Fierce look at immortality

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-03-22

Truly the Old Man is one of the great fictional sports figures. We see a guy clinging to his image with all fingernails. What other film shows a man delighted to get cancer for it will force his enemies to retreat? I'd place the Old Man up there with Elmer Gantry and Andy Griffith in A Face In the Crowd as great Southern figures. The book never backs off and pays off royally.

Thanks, John Ed, for not taking the easy route...

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-03-22

It would have been simple for the author to take the easy, obvious route here, telling a straight-ahead story about a washed-up football coach on his last legs who wins the big game at the end and everything ends happily ever after. Instead, he turned it into a funny, insightful tale that works on so many levels and rings totally true. It is NOT a football book! It's a story with fascinating characters (go deeper than what might appear to be stereotypes at first read) and so much local color it almost reads like a movie script. I've enjoyed Bradley's work in Esquire and SI and I'm glad I found this book.

Sad and Bittersweet!

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1998-11-24

When I was an underclassmen at LSU, I loved watching John Ed Bradley and the rest of his teammates play football on Saturday Nights in Tiger Stadium. Bradley, a second-team All-SEC Center excelled in classroom as well as on the football field. When I heard he was a published author, I was anxious to read one of his books.

THE BEST THERE EVER WAS is a bittersweet story of Harold (Hardhead) Gravely, an aging head football coach from a major college (that happens to be located in South Louisiana)who is on the verge of being fired. His teams have seen better days and despite winning a National Championship eons ago, the college game has passed him by. While rumors of his dismissal begin to surface, Harold learns he has cancer, and he decides to use it to his advantage and go out a winner. Unfortunately for Harold, he goes out a loser and so does this book.

LSU Fans will like this book because of the familiarity of the characters and the setting. John Ed Bradley is a good writer, but next time I hope he writes about something a little more upbeat.

A Christmas Promise (Zebra Historical Romance)

Published in Paperback by Zebra (2001-10-01)

Author: Shelley Bradley

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Average review score:

If this had been in an anthology

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2001-12-08

While this book had interesting characters, it didn't have enough plot to support this length book. Having a few lies keep the hero and heroine apart for the entire book tires well before the end.

Is she too stubborn for her own good--very fine.

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-11-10

Lady Juliana Linford has lost her husband, but she swears she won't return to her father's control, nor to the man her father had intended to be her husband. Admittedly, her own choice of a husband might not have been much of a success, but at least it was her choice.

Lord Ian Pierce has loved Juliana since they were children together. When he learns of her husband's death, he travels to India to meet her and bring her home to England. Along the way on the months-long journey, he intends to win her love and her hand in marriage. If he has to tell a few lies to get there, it's a price he's willing to pay.

When Juliana agrees not to reject Ian's offer until Christmas, he believes he has time to act. Yet everything he does results in her becoming more angry with him. Can't she see that he really does know what is best for her? Certainly the choices she has made for herself have been complete disasters. Certainly she can't deny the sexual attraction that sizzles beneath even their slightest touch.

Author Shelley Bradley writes compellingly of early Victorian England (the 1850s) where manners and elegance remain important, yet where women can now dream of independence and of making their own decision. Ian is an interesting character because he really does seem to know what is best for Juliana, yet who can't avoid angering her even when he does what she wants most. Although Juliana's manipulative father is on stage for only a small number of pages, he is a finely drawn figure that one can almost imagine getting to know better.

intense chemistry!!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-09-29

Ian Pierce and Juliana Linford had been childhood friends but Ian's feelings for Juliana became much stronger as they grew older. When Juliana desires to marry someone else against her father's wishes, the men in her life scheme to stop the marriage. Furious, Juliana weds and moves away to India with her
new husband.

Five years later, still devotely in love with Juliana, Ian discovers she is now a widow. Juliana's father's health is precarious so with his approval, Ian sets out to bring Juliana home to be with her family in time for the holidays.

However some things never change, Ian is still very much in love and desperately wishes to wed Juliana. And Juliana is still headstrong and determined not to let her father, or Ian, control her life by forcing her to wed someone she herself has not chosen.

Set in the Victorian era, this book is truly intriguing. And despite the fact that the heroine was very stubborn, I could not help but enjoy this story as the chemistry between the hero and heroine was intense. Also I loved the hero, he was so true to his heart I swooned just thinking about him. Sigh!

Got me in the Holiday Spirit

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-12-23

This year I bought a couple of Christmas books to get me in the spirit. I read this first because it looked most interesting. A Christmas Promise didn't disappoint.

Juliana knew her father was trying to manipulate her into marriage with Ian. She'd known Ian since childhood, so she knew him well enough to realize Ian was manipulating her to the altar too. Some women might find this pursuit romantic and think she's stubborn for not giving in much sooner. I disagree. The truth was, Juliana didn't trust Ian or her own feelings, and she knew Ian had a habit of lying to her to get what he wanted. Why trust a man like that?

This is a complicated relationship that Shelley Bradley plays out convincingly. If it had happened any faster or in any other way, I wouldn't have believed it. The story was handled with skill, and I'll be looking forward to this author's next book.

Clinical Hematology and Fundamentals of Hemostasis

Published in Hardcover by Butterworth-Heinemann (2001-11-15)

Authors: Walter G. Bradley, Perkins, Lewis, Avanzini, Beau, Eadie, Bladin, Pfafflin, Specht, Denise M. Harmening, and Bradley

List price: $103.00

Used price: $398.09

Average review score:

A Thorough Text for Medical students

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-06

From Preface:

"The third edition of this text has been designed as a thorough and concise guide to clinical hematology and fundamentals of hemostasis. The textbook is unique in its five-part format, featuring an introduction to clinical hematology and sections on the anemias, white blood cell disorders, hemostasis/thrombosis, and laboratory methods, allowing easy incorporation into block curricula. New chapters on the use of flow cytometry, the molecular diagnostic techniques in hematopathology, and an introduction to thrombosis and anticoagulant therapy are highlights of this edition.

Full color has been incorporated throughout the entire text. The photographs fro the 260-color-plate atlas, a prominent feature of previous editions, have been incorporated into the relevant chapters. These color figures, demonstrating peripheral smears, bone marrow aspirates, gross morphology, and clinical manifestations, enhance the text as a foundation for the practice of clinical laboratory science. In addition, the 3rd edition includes more than 300 figures (line drawings and bnw photographs) and 400 tables.

The first five chapters (Part I) focus on hematopoiesis, bone marrow examination, red cell metabolism, the pathogenesis of anemia, and the evaluation of red cell morphology. The next ten chapters (Part II) are devoted to anemias, presenting the disease processes leading to abnormal red blood cell morphology. Part III contains 9 chapters that focus on white blood cell disorders, including both benign and malignant states. Included are reviews of the leukemias, myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative disorders, plasma cell dyscrasas, lymphomas, and lipid storage disease. The new chapter introducing flow cytometry is also in this section. Part IV focuses on hemostasis, with chapters devoted to platelet structure and function, vascular and platelet disorders, defects of plasma clotting factors, and the interaction of the fibrinolytic, coagulation, and kinin systems. A final chapter introducing thrombosis and anticoagulant therapy concludes the hemostasis section.

The laboratory methods chapter of the 2nd edition has been expanded into 5 chapters, which make up the final segment of the text (Part V). This expanded format provides a more comprehensive guide to procedures routinely performed in the clinical hematology and hemostasis laboratory, including routine hematology methods, principles of automated differential analysis, special stains, and coagulation. New in this edition is a chapter on molecular diagnostic techniques in hematopathology."

Sometimes difficult to understand, and the binding falls apart

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-05

This book is okay for a student that is going to be guided through it step by step, but to use as a reference text I think their are probably better books out there. Harmening can get a little confusing on this topic at times, though I have heard that the 5th edition is a bit better. Also, the binding fell apart. I wrote the publisher and they said they would replace the book but only if i sent my old one in. I didn't want to loose all my notes/highliting so I am just going to deal with having the book fall apart.

Great reference book!

Helpful Votes: 13 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-22

When I first saw this book I got scared because of the size and weight of it, but when I finally got the courage to open it and start reading it, it surprised me! I found this book to be really good and the pictures are great and help out a lot. The case studies at the end of each chapter are really great and got me to understand more and think about the content of the chapter, which by doing that helped me to remember!! Also the last part of the book: Laboratory methods, was a great help to me both in preparing for class and when it came to writing the report, the book tells you step by step how the procedures are done. I will always keep this book for reference as I know it will help in during my career as a lab technongist.

Not all it could be

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-06

This book has become almost a standard text. But it has problems. For one, the index fails to list much of what's in the book. For instance, kallikrein, an important cytokine in coagulation, is not listed in the index, though it is talked about in the text. Abbreviations are introduced without a hint of what they stand for. The complexities of hemostasis are not well-explained. And the process of clotting is not well-organized. A good editor would have helped the authors produce a better book.

Bradley Books