Blood Brothers

Two cousins - one a proper English lord, the other, a Montana cowboy. Blood brothers, sworn to defend and protect one another from all comers. Will that sacred vow hold strong as the cousins trade places and find the loves of their lives?

A delightfully unusual two-part romance is created when two romance authors, one English - Lucy Gordon, and one American - Anne McAllister, team up to write "Blood Brothers." And what a winning combination this is!

In part one, cowboy Gabe McBride journeys to England to visit his grandfather, the Earl of Stanton, and his favorite cousin, Randall. When badgering his grandfather to give poor ol' Randall a rest from his corporate publishing chores, Gabe finds himself trapped into a bet - that he couldn't do half as good a job as his business-minded cousin when it comes to reviving a defunct village newspaper. Never one to back away from a challenge, Gabe takes up the bet, determined to prove he is more than just a cowboy. However, Gabe didn't plan on one pretty English lass in the form of Frederica Crossman lassoing his heart. Gabe was in for the ride of his life!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch - Lord Randall Stanton agreed to cover Gabe's chores back on his Montana ranch. Faced with proving himself to a group of seasoned cowboys, Randall also finds himself trying to prove his worth to Claire, his pretty adopted cousin. A pest as a kid, Claire has blossomed into a beautiful woman, enticing Randall's every desire. Only one problem; Claire was in love with his look-alike cousin Gabe. Could the English Lord sway the little cowgirl's heart in his direction?

"Blood Brothers" is a charming venture into cooperative writing from two very talented writers. I'd love to see more of this type of storylines from Gordon and McAllister. Who knows? International relations just might improve in the name of romance!

We never know what decisions may change our lives forever. In BLOOD BROTHERS cousins Gabe McBride and Randall Stranton decide on a whim to switch roles and countries. They find out surprising things about themselves and what they truly want out of life. And more intriguing for a romance reader like myself, what they are willing to sacrifice for love.

Anne McAllister and Lucy Gordon created an irresistible read that kept me up long past my bedtime.

It all begins when Gabe McBride walks into a trap of his own making. In attempting to liberate his cousin, Randall Stanton, Gabe sets himself up for a period of responsibility and challenge as he travels to Devon to save a newly acquired newspaper. His cousin Randall travels to Montana to run the MBbar under the belief that his Aunt Elaine would bear the brunt of the responsibility so that he can relax as Gabe suggests.

Anne McAllister and Lucy Gordon create two splendid stories bound into one when they team up to write this book. The prologue and epilogue flow smoothly though two individual minds were working on it. Each story, however, bears the individual stamp of their respective author's style and culture.

In writing Gabe's story, Anne McAllister sticks to what she does best and she does it well when Gabe meets Frederica Crossman and her two children. In what seems to be a trademark of McAllister's style, the reader comes to understand Gabe and his feelings of inadequacy, especially when he realizes the satisfaction that truly comes with achieving something. In addition, Frederica comes across as a strong heroine who protects her children to a fault but who learns from Gabe that such fierce sheltering of her children might actually do more harm than good.

Lucy Gordon's tone is more quiet when we approach the MBbar. In Montana, the reader learns that Aunt Elaine has traveled to England to visit her father, Earl Stanton, and has left the ranch under the care of Claire Stevens, the orphan child who was left on the porch of their ranch years ago. While Randall gradually overcomes the prejudice of the hands at the MBbar, Claire comes to look beyond the face he shares with Gabe, the man she thought she loved, and to love Randall for who he is and not the title he bears.

This is a wonderful story that will engage readers with its emotional pull when it comes to the bond between these two cousins and their strong sense of family.

This is one of the many outstanding books that I have in my collection that were written by Gordon Kirby. Bobby Rahal was a 3 time CART champion and the winner of the 1986 Indianapolis 500, now he is successful businessman and car-owner. Like all of the Gordon Kirby books in my collection, the photography in this book is superb. The forward by Nigel Mansfield shows the respect that Bobby Rahal generated from his fellow race car drivers. This is a must-have book for anyone who collects Indianapolis 500 or CART memorabilia.

Bobby Rahal is one of the greats of motorsports, and Gordon Kirby is one of the greats of motorsports journalism. Put them together, and the result is an engrossing look at the career of one of America's finest champions.

This is not just a listing of races and results. You get the story behind the races, and insight into Rahal's life and career you won't find anywhere else. The great photos (many from Rahal's private collection) make the book visually beautiful.

If you are a fan of auto racing, this book belongs in your collection.

First, a disclaimer: I am a friend and colleague of the author.

With that out of the way, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys racing. It does an excellent job of describing the less-than-glamorous grunt work required to make it to top-level motorsports. Many people know about Rahal's CART championships and Indianapolis 500 victory; few know about his exploits racing all around the world against guys like Gilles Villeneuve, Keke Rosberg and Nelson Piquet.

The text is an excellent balance between Kirby's narrative and Rahal's own words, and the book is attractively laid out with thoughtful photo choices. Some of the Rahal family photos are priceless.

Rahal wasn't always the fastest guy on the track, but he may have been the smartest. He's extremely intelligent and well-read in almost every subject, and this book demonstrates his success as a team owner has not come by accident.

In general, this is one of the best racing books I have read. Get it.

The photos in this book jumped out at me and encouraged me to purchase it, yet I was very happily surprised by the thoroughness and readability of the text. I made a road trip down highway 395 this past summer through the Eastern Sierra region and this book proved to be an invaluable resource. It turned me onto many great places to visit off the beaten path. There is excellent history, wildlife and geological info, and descriptions of the towns along the way. The photos are just great, making this both a coffee table book and a great visitors guide. I stopped at the Interagency Visitor Center in Lone Pine (which I would recommend as a good starting point for anyone exploring the area) and among their large selection of books about the region I found this book to the best single source if choosing just one. You'll be very happy with this purchase.

As an employee of a resort in the Eastern Sierra, I've glanced through and read many books about the region. Of all of them, this book is the best written and researched. The book's pictures are good, but the text is the true value of the book. This book has it all, from climate, to wildlife, to various flora of the region, to recreational suggestions for each of the region's popular landmarks. A must have for any fan of the Eastern Sierra or for anyone planning a trip to this fantastic region of California.

I bought a copy of this book years ago, and I've traveled extensively through the region it covers. It is one of the most attractive and informative books I own. Of course, the Eastern Sierra is a region of astounding beauty, so author Sue Irwin could hardly go wrong.

This group of plants is fascinating and well worth learning about. I have used this book so much that I need to purchase another copy of it. My copy is getting to be worn out. I highly recommend this book to any succulent collector. Gordon Rowley has outdone himself with this one.

I came accross this book completely by chance a few years ago, through an exotic plant dealer and was instantly smitten by the treasures hidden within. It is the ONLY book I have found dedicated to the unique group of plants that are the Caudaciformes and Pachycaul Succulents. It's informative and entertaining with exceptional fotographs. Every time I open it I find something new. EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!

The caudiciforms - a most fascinating and photogenic group of plants are sometimes beautiful, sometimes comical-looking, but always interesting. This guide, a superbly crafted masterpiece written by expert Gordon Rowley, could serve as either a coffee table treasure trove of expertly crafted photos or a valuable reference, with text and pictures providing a wealth of information to even the most serious student of botany. This book, written by a true expert, should certainly be held as a prized possession of both the casual nature aficionado and the specialist alike.

Lyndall Gordon does an excellent job of retelling the life of Charlotte Bronte. In this book we see a different side of a woman who since Gaskell's novel, has been pitied. In this biography we find a Charlotte that is full of life and even with the sadness and death that surrounds her is able to continue to follow her own path. She does not crumble into oblivion. Lyndall also opens up parts of Charlotte's life ignored by Gaskell to protect Charlotte's image. This novel reveals a Charlotte Bronte that knows passion and love not just pain and loss. This is an excellent book for any person interested in the life of a incredible author who was as strong-willed as the characters she wrote.

From the time I first read "Jane Eyre" in high school until now, some 30 years and many re-readings later, I have never come across anything that made me feel I really could comprehend the woman behind the work, until I read this book,which I finished early this morning. "Jane Eyre" has always been my favorite novel... I have seen every movie adaptation, I have trudged the rainy streets of Haworth and the surrounding moors, I have read several biographies, I have read other Bronte works. You see, I thought if I understood Charlotte Bronte better, I would understand myself better, at least the part of myself that is so incredibly moved by Jane Eyre at every re-reading. I was THRILLED to find a book that leaves the strict biographical details to any of the numerous Bronte biographers and explores the soul behind the facts. It is wonderfully written in its own right and demonstrates incredible insight and respect for the Bronte genius. Without feeling like I was being manipulated by a feminist with an agenda, I came to appreciate the incredible strength of mind and character in a woman like Ms. Bronte, whose unique identity and voice couldn't be suppressed by her social and personal circumstances. My already profound admiration for Charlotte Bronte was only deepened after reading this book by Lundall Gordon for the first time.

I adore Charlotte Brontë and did enjoy very much this book. I have to congratulate the author on this wonderful bio, very informative and yet so interesting. Everyone who is interested in the Brontë legend should read this biography.

If you were like me and were looking for a good Pronger book, your search ends! This had a lot of great information on Pronger. Let's Go Blues!

This book was really good - it showed his whole life. The pictures were great and the tips accurate. It really shows the life of a player and how hard you have to try to make it big. It was a great thing for me---you should check it out.

The worst thing about this book is it doesn't have enough pages...I found myself wanting to read more. There are a lot of tips for young players and some bio information which is interesting. The pictures are great, espescially the younger ones. Thanks to Chris for sharing them with all of us.

Very good book. Essential to every medical student and physician.

Sackett and colleagues have written the best introduction to clinical epidemiology for students and clinicians. Their approach helps clinicians and investigators see the value and pitfalls of quantitative approaches to clinical research. The explanations of Diagnosis and Management and the relationship between common clinical tools and epidemiology form the basics for the student to understand the emerging field of technology assessment in medicine. This book is must reading for the serious clinical investigator and student alike.

Sackett's book is a classic. It walks the new or old and grizzled reader through the techniques of literature review, test interpretation, and probability-based clinical decision making. It has pocket cards attached to help with a variety of analytical and interpretive activities. It is a must read by anybody who wants to practice quality medicine. Hopefully, that's all of us.

Ryan plunges you into the middle of an exciting period in history and puts you inside the changes surging through the world. This series is not only a great read, it's a close up look at some of the more controversial aspects of LDS, including the particular challenges faced by mixed religion marriages and changing church doctrine. Ryan pulls no punches, and his examination of the issues through compelling storytelling has a message for readers of any faith. I'm waiting impatiently for book #3, and sure hope that's not the end of it. More books, Deseret and Ryan -- MORE.

Mr. Ryan has the wonderful ability to make the characters real to the reader. I feel like I know Tom and Katrina and the family. Excellent handling of a few of the differences between the LDS and Catholic Faiths. Excellent portrayal of a faithful LDS woman married to a good man tho not of her faith. Her faith that the Lord will provide and her patience makes her an extremely lovable lady. Tom's personality certainly will appeal to most men and I think women. He is faithful yet a still a "bit of the Irish" in him. All the characters are very human in their actions and emotions. While reading the reader feels those emotions and hurts and feels the joy of the characters. Tom's Anger at himself and taking it out on his young son and the results of that are real and the reader can learn from Tom's mistake. Can't wait for volume 3.

It's not very often that a sequel comes along that matches the excitment of the first book. I loved the first book, "Destiny" and was anxious to read the second to see what would transpire with Tom and Katrina. I was not disappointed. I not only grew to love them more, but developed a love for their children as well. I look forward to the third and know that the author will keep me up into the wee hours of the night once more!

I recently order "Cooking for David) and find it the best and most informative cookbook regarding renal disease cooking. The recipes are encellent, easy to make, and provide a variety of selections. The cookbook is so good that I ordered one for my daughter-in-law because she keep asking for the recipes. Since my husband is going on dialysis, the recipes have prepared me in advance to be able to cook for him and provide him with good and balance meals. There are wonderful charts that let you know just what foods are good and which ones to avoid. I have read the book from cover to cover and its become my bible for cooking. I wish to thank these wonderful ladies for creating this fantastic cookbook.

My mother recently started dialysis and I have been trying to find a good cookbook for her. I just got this one for her house and decided to buy another for my household. I have over 100 cookbooks and I could go through them and analyse the recipes I use, but this cookbook does all the analysing for me. It also stands on its own as a great cookbook with a balanced variety of recipes for breakfasts, dessert, main courses, etc. These are wonderful recipes: Hot holiday cider,horseradish spread with melba toast,breakfast sausage, frittatas, blueberry peach crisp, rice pudding supreme,Greek lamb patties with mint sauce,poached salmon with cucumber dill sauce, sweet and sour meatballs,shrimp scampi,Chinese fried rice, pasta primavera, spicy lemon pasta, Asian vegetable salad, crabmeat salad, cranberry orange ginger sauce, candied carrots and apples, deviled green beans,creamy cauliflower bake, and lots more

This is a wonderful book.

For 6 years my mother, a kidney patient, has been preparing bland meals for herself. This year she moved in with us (family of five).
Since then, I have been preparing two meals at dinnertime--a bland one for her and the usual meal for my other family members. My mom felt guilty about my preparing two sets of meals and the other members of the family felt bad about eating their more tasty meals at the same time that she ate. I did not mind cooking two meals but it was difficult for me to co-ordinate the meals.
This book explains the renal diet very well and provides recipes for tasty foods all my family members like.
I especially appreciate the accompanying list of nutritional contents (including sodium, potassium, phosphorous) for each recipe.
I only wish we had known about this book before.

As a masters student in a leadership program I have been reading the current literature around leadership for the past two years. Donaldson's book is by far in my top five. Easy to read and accessible, this book offers hope for the future of our schools. The model that he proposes for school leadership is both practical and filled with great ideals...anyone who has worked in a school will know that the author "knows his stuff."

I highly recommend the book.

This little volume scrapes away the layers of thinking and strategies that have built up over the years and have been proferred to school principals. It begins with the simple, underlying question: "How is it that schools can be lead?"

And it begins with a simple goal: to develop a practical model of school leadership that promises to address the two most pressing issues facing school leadership today: 1) serve the learning needs of children and their communities and 2) prove practicable and fulfilling to leaders themselves.

From this point of origin, Gordon Donaldson casts a fresh eye on what he calls "the everyday realities" that surround people who seek to lead. He finds in his chapters entitled "The Conspiracy of Busyness" and "The Planetary Culture of Schools" that if people approach leadership in the classical paradigm of "one organization, one leader", they are destined to fail in schools.

Donaldson then generates a provocative new model that he argues is "congruent with the everyday realities of schools". Building from the work of Barth, Rost, Heifetz, Helgesen, Sergiovanni, and Darling-Hammond, he proposes a relational model in which leadership is "plural" - blended among people with diverse roles, talents, and responsibilities but who share a common purpose and a disposition for action. Leadership, he claims, engages three intertwining "streams" of a school's life: relationships among adults and between adults and children; purposes and commitments to them; and the belief that "we act in common" to attain our purposes.

The bulk of Gordon Donaldson's book explores what principals and teacher leaders can do to participate in leadership in the three streams. In doing so, he helps us distinguish between these two roles (both of which he claims are absolutely essential to a strong school). He goes on to examine, then, what particular skills and dispositions stand principals and teacher leaders in good stead as they go about this important work. Here, he calls upon the work of Daniel Goleman, Nel Noddings, Robert Evans, and Peter Senge among others.

The book's grounding in "realities" gives it resonance for teachers, principals, counselors, and even citizen leaders. Its descriptions of leader activities and the skills necessary for them makes it useful to people intent on learning to lead and searching for a more useful model for their own leadership experience.

Deborah Meier wrote:

"Wonderful, wise, and well said... This book lays out a way of thinking about what leadership might entail, alongside the details of why it doesn't happen and what it would require for it to become a reality." Meier is Principal, Mission Hill Elementary School, Boston; Founder, Central Park East High School, NYC

Tom Sergiovanni wrote:

"Few books will teach you more about leadership, how it works, and how it can slip into the nooks and crannies of a school. Donaldson sets a new standard for timeliness and relevance. A must read for school faculties who want to come together to work more effectively with kids." Sergiovanni is Professor, Center for Educational Leadership at Trinity University, San Antonio TX

Roland Barth wrote:

In this volume, Gordon Donaldson demonstrates that he is the ultimate 'reflective practitioner'. Like a good academic, his gift to the reader is a refreshing model of school leadership.; But like a good practitioner, he offers a model based on the realities of the school culture.... I wish I had had Cultivating Leadership in Schools as my partner during my own turbulent days as a school principal." Barth is author of Improving Schools from Within, the founder of the Harvard Principals' Center and a former professor at Harvard

Gayle Moller wrote:

This book clearly and concisely explains why school leaders are frustrated in their jobs. In this book, practitioners will find a friend in the author who explains the obstacles to leading in schools, yet offers practical solutions through a leadership model that more closely reflects a school's organization." Moller is the former director of the South Florida Center for Educational Leadership and currently teaches at Western Carolina