Robert J. Kennedy's walk to Alaska is one of the most exciting adventures of all time. His humor, honesty, humility and courage will touch the reader deeply. The book's style is uniquely cryptic, but enjoyable once you get used to it.

No matter what goes wrong, Kennedy maintains an upbeat attitude at all times. His conversations with his buddy Ty, who came to visit Kennedy three times during the walk, are truly delightful and insightful. Several times in the book I was moved to tears. And many more times I found myself laughing out loud.

Kennedy strikingly lacks the crudeness often found in other adventurers. His ineptness is also unique among adventurers, but that only endears him further.

I strongly recommend this book for readers of all ages. Kennedy's story proclaims loudly that chivalry still lives; and it also has a sense of humor.

That so many things could go wrong during a 5-month walk is almost incredible. But the book documents the events with great detail. The reader often feels he or she is right there walking alongside. Or crawling alongside, in some cases.

The bear encounter is truly gripping, due mainly to its remote and dark setting.

Buy this book, but don't expect it to be anything like any other adventure book you have ever read. This is a spiritual journey as well as a physical and romantic one.

I cannot recommend any book more highly.

As a writer/storyteller, I was captivated by this review of Ong's life-long endeavor to bring back the vocal word to the culture. Farrel's inclusion of other familiar proponents of the evolution of human consciousness (Buber, Chardin, Cargas) and noted contemporaries such as John Bradshaw, gave this lay person a feeling of comfort among scholarly dialogue. Ong's acceptance of modern technology, such as TV, gives credence to his "ordinary language philosophy." The focus of Farrell's study, is the "feeling/valuing function" of our human consciousness, and also the focus of many psychologists today. Not a quick read, yet a page turner nevertheless.

If you've ever thought history was even slightly boring, try thinking of the myriad alternative human universes that could have been born -- indeed, that had to be avoided -- along the way to where we are. If the Armada had not been defeated ... if Lee had won the civil war ... the possibilites are endless, and if you don't experience little shudders of horror or nostalgic loss when listening to this collection, you haven't been listening hard enough.

Too many of the texts out there on spiritual warfare take off on tangents and gain much of their "wisdom" from sources other than from the Bible (some even admit to getting their information straight from demons!). The biblical path is not demons behind every bush and it is not that demons do not exist. But inbetween these two extremes lies the biblical path set down by Dean and Ice.

Please read this book before you go to Anderson or Hammond or any others on this matter. The information in this book is MUCH more biblical!

Voila, the compacted dithers of mutton & larks! Ecco, predicted lathers of metro & lux! Lo, the monastic matters of mirrors & lakes! Zounds, the hermetic spiels of motor & locks! Behold, the gathered deepistles of monachus & littera! Witness the mighty phrasings of miracle lustrum! All hail the bibliotickles, viva the dublintenders, long live the fortunetells of hoy & halloo! Heed the prophetic warblings of minus & linus! Lament the bombastic tangles of mittwoch & letznacht! Observe the respected nightingales, doves & coulombians. Celebrate the valiantimes scattered by freundlich & freud! Three cheers for the bandied ampersands of max & louie, the mingled missives of joyful eremites.

Moseley and Nicholls have collaborated on a wonderfully beautiful floral book. The depth, detail and color in each pop up, 5 total, are gorgeous. A definite must have for the the garden lover and romantic.

Most concordances let you trace an English word through the Bible. But, is it really the same word? Is ``infirmity'' astheneo (weakness) or nesos (sickness) in this verse? Both Youngs and Strongs give you the Hebrew or Greek word. However, Youngs gives you all the translations of the ``original'' word, so that you can trace just that word. One English word may actually be several different Hebrew or Greek words. Likewise, one Hebrew or Greek word may actually be translated by several English words. Straighten it all out with Youngs, without having to become a language scholar.

The tales of King Arthur and of the knights of the Round Table are well-known and have been the subject of many books, poems (Tennyson), at least two musical works (Purcell's "King Arthur", and the famous Broadway musical, "Camelot"), and films ("Camelot", based on the musical, and "Excalibur"). The most famous English-language book version of these tales is this version by Sir Thomas Malory, yet this is not easily readable, even in modern prose. The modern English rendition by Keith Baines is excellent, for it allows those of us who do not have Ph.D's in English literature to get an idea of what the original was like, but the book itself is tedious in its very nature.

What you should expect with this book is a very good beginning and ending, and a "will it ever end ?" middle. Arthur himself cannot be called the central character, for he is virtually absent, except in the first tale of the book, which deals with his coming to power, and the last one, about his death. The rest of this book is concerned with jousting and tournaments, so much that in the end one gets bored with this never-ending succession of fights with knights whose names you'll only read once and which have no consequence on what is supposed to be the larger plot (such as the quest for the Holy Grail, or the famous Tristram and Iseult tale). Of course, the better-known knights of the Round Table, such as Launcelot, Tristram, and Percivale, are present, but only from time to time, and narration often shifts from one to the other for no reason.

What this book lacks most is continuity. Apart from the first and last tales, everything in between is not in chronological order, which gets confusing. In one tale one character is dead and another is well-known; in the next tale the first character is living and the second one is unknown (just take the example of King Pellinore and Sir Percivale). All tales were obviously separate ones, and the reader, at some point, will simply stop trying to understand how Malory ever came up with such an order for his tales. If Malory (or his original publishers) had any idea in mind when they chose this setup of the tales, it will appear unclear to most readers.

One of the few good points of this book is that, since it was written in the late Middle Ages, it avoids to a certain extent the over-romanticization of the Middle Ages, which is what later authors, such as Sir Walter Scott, did to such an extent that even today we cannot think of the Middle Ages without having in mind the picture-perfect version of it (which I will not delve into -- I'm sure you know what I have in mind). Even though chivalry as described in the book has some romantic elements attached to it, it is never fully exploited, and "Le Morte d'Arthur" certainly does not fit the requirements to be classified into the romantic genre (which was not fully described until the nineteenth century). This book therefore does not use romanticism as we now know it. But this good point may also be one of the book's weaknesses, because the topic is a legend, and not fact. Because this subject is not historically accurate (and some parts of the book are hilariously improbable), Malory could not use realism to replace romanticism, and I believe that if he had used more romanticism in his book it would only have made it better. In the end, Malory used neither style, and this makes his writing style very dry. His characters are mere fighting machines with no emotional depth, his narration is action, action, and action: no description, either of his own characters or of the scenery (a castle is a castle, nothing more). The scenes he depicts cannot be located, for the setting is never described. Malory, above all, was an awful storyteller. He could only describe his characters jousting and fighting, and since this had nothing to do with the larger plot, this only lengthens the book for no reason. (If you want a modern comparison, just think of a public orator who just tells personal anecdotes that are not related to his topic.)

Furthermore, anyone interested in the Middle Ages has nothing to gain from reading this book. It holds no historical interest (apart from a study of the English language, but then I would not go for this modern rendition) for the reason that its subject is not based on fact and its description of society in the early Middle Ages is simplistic. This book is certainly no "Canterbury Tales", in which a lot can be learned about what was life during the Middle Ages. So if you are mainly interested in history I'd skip "Le Morte d'Arthur" and I'd go for "The Canterbury Tales" instead.

In conclusion, "Le Morte d'Arthur" is worth reading only if you have the patience to go through it, for this book is overlong and repetitive. Keith Baines's rendition makes this task easier, and his appendix on the main characters is very helpful if you intend to skip parts (which you should not do because the whole is chronologically inaccurate).

This modern prose rendition of Le Morte D'Arthur by Keith Baines is a surprising (and surprisingly well-done) help when first getting aquainted with Malory's work. It's not a retelling for children that waters anything down nor is it an abridgement of the original. Everything from the original is included only pared down (for instance, endless descriptions of minor duels and battles are just simply mentioned or listed). It's all based on the Winchester Manuscript edited by Vinaver which is divided into eight books: The Tale of King Arthur; The Tale of King Arthur and the Emperor Lucius; The Tale of Sir Launcelot Du Lake; The Tale of Sir Gareth; The Book of Sir Tristram of Lyoness; The Tale of the Sangreal; The Book of Sir Launcelot and Queen Gwynevere; and, Le Morte D'Arthur. If Caxton's edition of LE MORTE D'ARTHUR has ever seemed overwhelming (or just a bit confusing and repetitive) to you but you want to experience this great work with all its charm and wonder and metaphor then this retelling by Keith Baines might be a find for you. To give you an idea that it leaves nothing out this rendition is over 500 pages. It also has, as an appendix, a synopsis of principal characters. The poetry doesn't seem to be lost in this retelling, and even if some of the poetry is lost you can always go back to the Caxton or original Vinaver after reading Baines but at least have a much clearer grasp of the territory and what's happening. In the Baines retelling I noticed the scenes with the women (and some of those intrigues set more in the court and private realm) come more to the fore whereas in Caxton they sort of seem lost here and there in the background.

This review applies to the abridged audiocassette version. I have not read the book, but I will, after hearing this wonderful reading by Derek Jacobi. His immaculate British accent truly brings to life this epic tale of King Arthur and his knights' adventures. I highly recommend this version and also: 'Excalibur' the movie, T. H. Whites' 'The Once and Future King', and also Carl Orffs' 'Carmina Burana - Empress of the World' - music which was featured in 'Excalibur'. These four put together can give you a truly grand starting experience of the Arthurian Legends.

I have read many, many biographies of Robert F. Kennedy and feel that this one should become the definitive biography of the man.

The book is written in a very easy to read manner. The author goes out of his way to be fair to his subject. He refuses to be lazy, he actually does research into Kennedy's life. Other biographers just seem to repeat the stories they have heard over the years without actually looking into them themselves, further clouding the truth. Thomas was given access to many of Robert Kennedy's private papers while writing the book.

This book does not view Robert Kennedy as a saint. However, it also does not view him as a devil. What comes across to me is that Kennedy was basically a decent man. There are many stories that have been repeated over the years about his private life, none offer any proof. For example, Evan Thomas could find no evidence of a sexual affair between Robert Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe.

Regardless of Kennedy's private life, which I believe should remain his own, he did great things. He courageously stood up for causes that probably would have cost him the presidential election had he lived to election day. He highlighted the plight of the farm workers in California, the poverty of children in rural communities, the lack of opportunities for native Americans. He was the right person for the times. He is said to be the last white politician ever loved by black Americans.

This book does a good job in explaining many of the things Kennedy did in his career. The section on the Cuban Missile Crisis is one of the better parts of the book. Robert Kennedy's role during this time is very well described. Thomas shows many examples of initiatives Kennedy took that didn't work very well, and he doesn't mind saying why they didn't work.

If you are looking for gossip you will not find it in this book. However, if you are interested in history and the motivations of those who made history I would highly recommend you read Robert Kennedy: His Life.

Evan Thomas has set an exceptionally high standard for political as well as historical biography with this masterful account of the life of a brilliant and tortured leader. Highly readable and meticulously researched with the added advantage of having unlimited exclusive access to Kennedy's private papers, this narrative brings to life a complex and dynamically forceful man.

From RFK's early days to his untimely death while reaching for the Presidency, Thomas gives us an unvarnished but at the same time a sympathetic look at the "ruthless" Kennedy. We see RFK molding his skills as the tireless/relentless campaign manager for his brother as JFK ran for Congress in '46 and the Senate in '52. His driven pursuit of Hoffa as a part of the Senate Rackets Committee brings RFK into the national spotlight and sets the stage for the monolithic JFK Presidential campaign and administration.

Awarded the Attorney Generalship for his work during the campaign, Bobby offsets the nepotism charges by becoming the most trusted advisor to his brother during one of history's most sublime and at the same time most dangerous Presidential terms. Thomas deftly covers the inside machinations of such historical events as the Bay of Pigs, the multiple assasination plots against Castro and the subsequent Missile Crisis. RFK's role is at once expertly and judiciously displayed as the manipulative bully who runs interference while JFK remains above the fray. Conversely, when challenged, he shows that he can become thoughtful and brilliant on the world stage as evidenced by his performance during the Missile Crisis.

Of lesser known historical events such as the burgeoning civil rights acts of the early 60's, the fight against the "mob" and organized crime and the constant and frustrating battles with J. Edgar Hoover, Thomas reveals RFK in the same light...the same intensity, the same propensity for error (notable in the tapping of Martin Luther King's phone)and the same caring leadership with his characteristically kindred feelings for the "underdog".

Following JFK's assasination, we see RFK's mythological transformation from follower to leader...Thomas covers his Senate election following that crippling "depression" period and shows how he slowly established his own policies and agenda. All this leads to the almost Shakespearian tragedy of the '68 campaign for the Presidency and a brilliant ending to the book where Thomas philosophizes on what a prospective RFK Presidential administration might have been: "He probably would have been devious in some ways, and it is not impossible to imagine him abusing the power of his office. But he would have surely tried to tackle the problems of poverty and discrimination, and he would have tried to end the killing in Vietnam long before President Nixon did."

A sweeping narrative of a fascinating man and a shrewd examination of his character, this work by Evan Thomas is both comprehensive and an entertaining read and should stand the test of time and be considered the best RFK biography of the many that are currently published. This is an essential read for any political or historical buff and I recommend it highly.

Evan Thomas' extraordinary book about Senator Robert Kennedy's life brings a wealth of new information and surprising insights to the mythic figure of Bobby we all thought we knew. Thomas' careful research, gripping interviews, and well-honed writing make this a "page turner." Written by a prize-winning journalist who also happens to be Norman Thomas' grandson, Evan Thomas' insightful portrait of Robert Kennedy is nonetheless objective and balanced, showing us a political figure of conscience and, at exactly the same moment, hard-bitten practicality. Thomas has opened a new window into the complex and not-always-liberal character, RFK. His book is must reading for anyone seeking to understand the Kennedys and America in the l960's.

This book is one of my favorite Nora Roberts novels. It is also one of my favorite contemporary romance books. Montana Sky has everything: love, laughter, fear, romance, greed, passion... it doesn't disappoint in any respect.

Montana Sky is the story of the three Mercy sisters: Willa (the main character of the story) who was raised on Mercy ranch with her jerk of a father, Tess, the oldest who was raised in california and thinks Montana is as out of nowhere as any place, and Tess, the middle sister, who was in an abusive relationship and is on the run.

Montana Sky focuses on the three sisters and the men in their lives: Ben, Nate, and Adam. Each man is definitely dream man material, and are very strong characters. The woman are also strong, and are not willing to be ruled by their men.

The book tells about the year the sisters are forced to live on the Mercy ranch, in order to inherit, as stipulated by Jack Mercy, their father. Nora Roberts definitely did her research on ranch life, because as far as I could tell, it was all very accurate. She brings to life the hardships that occur being a rancher, especially a woman rancher, and she also manages to showcase the beauty that is Montana.

This is a wonderful novel that celebrates life. Though death is involved, and in a very grotesque way, it is a novel of finding family, and finding love. I was very surprised by the ending, as I had had no idea who was the killer. I have reread this book many times and enjoyed it more and more each time. The three sisters differences make an enjoyable cast of characters that any romance reader will love.

Nora Roberts has never dissapointed me...I've read almost most of her books and she always manages to captivate me. This book is one of my favorites..Montana Sky is a truly great book.

The "Women of Mercy" are wonderful characters. Tess with her bold, independent, devil-may-care attitude would have you envying her for her strength and attitude. Willa with her capable strength and her iron will..the way she shoulder every day problems is remarkable. Lily with her quiet strength which helped her survive every gust of bad luck that faith delt her.

Ahh..and ofcourse their men..Ben with his balant sexuality could make your toes curl and Neathedral ways is perfect for Willa's stubborn ways.

Nate with his smooth..charming cowboy ways is perfect for Tess' restlesness.

Adam with his calming, tenderness, and patience is perfect for Lily's battered soul.

The mystery is great..it just keeps you guessing..I do adore mystery but my heart belongs to romance...and mix is a great thing!

I just read "Montana Sky" last week on vacation - and a good thing, too! I never would have been able to get up for work since I couldn't put the book down until 2 every morning! This was the first Nora Roberts suspense novel in which I have not been able to guess who the killer was until he was actually revealed. I enjoyed it so much I started reading it again to my husband - who's really a Stephen King fan, not into "romance novels" - on the drive home. He liked it so much he has to finish the half we didn't get to on his own! The developing relationship between the three sisters, while you KNEW they would bond, was still a lot of fun to see happening. Willa and Tess were both great characters, and while I found Lily a little too meek for my liking, the strength that she developed redeemed her at the end. Also, Ben was the classic NR hero - tough, gentle, romantic, a bully - you know, the kind you can't help falling in love with. Just be warned - if you're looking for a classic "romance novel", you may have the same complaints some others have about the violence in this book. It does get a little graphic.