Butler Books

Jack Butler is probably most known for his contempory fiction and (perhaps to a lesser extent) his poetry. This is his first foray into Science Fiction (his later novel "Dreamer" may qualify if the definition is stretched a bit). While the transition could have been a little more graceful, the results are compelling.

For starters, Butler paints the same kind of landscapes that Robert Heinlein does. You won't find a lot of exposition, the action comes at you fast, and the reader has to do some work keeping abreast of the slang of 22nd Century Mars. There's also a slight political undertone. Never pedantic, Our Author prefers to show situations that have resulted from the extremes of human nature and technology.

Hellas is a Martian frontier town, a community living in one of Mars' 30 mile wide craters. The atmosphere being thin, an enormous tent keeps the air pressure at habitable levels. Within this settlement live the kind of folk one expects to see in any Martian Colony of the future: genetically engineered beasts, ranchers, enhanced people, and intelligent robots.

The story (and I don't like giving stuff away), deals mostly with a war for independance from Earth. But focus is kept on our hero--a rancher turned leader of the cecessionists--who is about 400 years old.

The book gets off to a bit of a slow start. Somewhere about a quarter of the way through--somewhere about the time you've figured out how this world works--the story sinks it's talons into you and takes you away. You're helpless.

Nightshade is not without it's flaws, but I really enjoyed this book and would love to see it come back into print. In the meantime, see if you can find a copy somewhere.

I think this is the best prose translation of "The Odyssey." I'd recommend reading Butler's translation first, before Pope (verse) and Fitzgerald, etc. Pope's verse is somewhat miraculous, but you have to be very acquainted with the story to keep up with him. What I'm doing now is reading a Book by Butler, then I compare it with a Book by Pope. I used to dislike prose translations, but I'm getting so much out of Butler's that I've changed my tune. Anent nothing, I'm not such a big fan of Fagles.

I am about to start a CBT training course and the book was recommended by a friend who has previously completed the course. Inital reading has been informative and I hope it will become a working handtool in my practice

I purchased this slim little hardcover volume as a romantic gift on St. Valentine's day. Its attractive Victorian styled jacket, and artificially yellowed pages, along with the eye-catching, if poorly reproduced, artwork scattered throughout, seemed just the thing to set my love's literary heart on fire. I should, perhaps, have read the very brief introduction prior to purchase.

Yeats seems to have had a rather severe case of youthful angst, being rejected by Maud Gonne, a local beauty, it would seem. The poetry, pretty much all 41 poems, while beautiful, lyrical and emotionally-charged, is that of a young man of unrequited passions. If you are looking for the bittersweet emotions of love, the sorrows of love never gained, the pleading heart that doesn't know if love is heaven or hell and the poet who wishes his lover dead or in his arms, you have the right book at hand. While this is a fine example of romantic poetry, if you're looking to cheer up your own lover, you may want to steer clear of this book and get flowers or chocolate instead.

That said, it's a very pretty little book and if you're feeling unlucky at love, this may resonate with the inner turmoil roiling in your soul.

A very comprehensive book about perfume, soap and cosmetic industry. Decribes in great details about the industry historically. The book also provides information about where the flow, tendency and future of the perfume is going.

A must buy for perfumers, soap makers, and general cosmetic manufacturers.

...which become obsolete probably within the year. Nevertheless, this is a good guide for what is and is not available, a price or value relative to another model, or what was ever made in the first place. It's obsolete by now as a price guide (one look at eBay will tell you that), but a comprehensive guide to the hobby.

The management of large software projects is a crucial skill. Without it, millions of dollars could be misspent in projects that are late to deliver, or deliver only limited functionality, or do not deliver at all. The book has chapters contributed by experts in the field, describing various processes that can minimise bad outcomes.

Many of the suggestions are uncontroversial. Like fostering a desirable culture and mindset amongst the programmers and engineers. Exactly what is desirable is expounded upon in the chapters. Broad aspects like these are fine, though some readers might find these too broad and inchoate.

In contrast, some chapters focus on smaller but still vital issues. One of which is good estimates. An estimate might often be about the amount of time a task will take, and the type of person or persons needed for that task. One aspect of this is how many people to assign to the task. Depending on yourself, some readers might want to concentrate on these chapters.

All Reilly wants to do is relax and recuperate. When his old mentor calls in an owed favor, Reilly reluctantly takes on the job of bodyguard to an heiress being plagued by accidents.

Reilly Murdock, former U.S. Marine, is now a private investigator. When he is awoken in the middle of the night by the man that shaped his younger years, he can't do anything but agree to the man's late night request. Reilly quickly finds himself on a plane to New York where he will assume the position of bodyguard to one Cassandra Van Winter, an heiress being plagued with dangerous accidents. Reilly is definitely not looking forward to his mission, but he remains steadfast in his loyalty. Cassandra needs a bodyguard whether she likes it or not, and Reilly is going to make sure she stays alive.

Cassandra Van Winter is living a lie. Since her father's death, she has been hiding the truth from society - her so called `family wealth' is gone and her father left her millions of dollars in debt. When she comes across an extremely valuable necklace she is excited. Cassandra plans to put it on the auction block, and with the sale of that one necklace, she will be on the road to financial recovery. Well, that is if she can stay alive long enough to go to auction. Somehow she has become more accident prone and the accidents are getting more and more hazardous. When her mother hires a bodyguard, Cassandra goes ballistic and doesn't want him around. However, she isn't honest. The true reason she wants him gone is because he makes her feel and she can't depend on her feelings, only herself.

REILLY'S PROMISE by Christyne Butler is a new look at the plotline of bodyguard/heiress. I didn't expect Cassandra's stubbornness in having Reilly's protection, but I have to admit she gives him a run for his money - and that one characterization makes for a better book. Reilly himself is uber sexy and if Cassandra has secrets, Reilly does as well. Trust doesn't come easy to either character but love blossoms into an emotion so powerful that Reilly and Cassandra don't know what hits them! REILLY'S PROMISE promises to be a great read no matter what genre you like!

***Natasha Smith for Romance Junkies***

This book is a dark horse. Filled to the brim with action. Wry phases, and humor. We read it as a family (all adults), by the fourth chapter we were discussing who should get the parts. Will Smith was a shoo in. A good read. We questioned the 9-12 year age bracket.

Carl Wedekind's thoughtful and scholarly yet accessible work on the death penalty is thought-provoking and myth-busting. Whether the reader is pro, anti, or undecided, anyone interested in matters of justice should put aside preconceived notions and read this important book.