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Customer Reviews (13)

A bit disappointed, but nevertheless a well-told story
Jennifer Culkin became a flight nurse in Washington State after experience in many critical care settings elsewhere.Being a flight nurse requires one to have a substantial fund of knowledge and to be able to think quickly to use that knowledge to save patients who are often being taken from smaller hospitals to a larger facility for necessary specialty care.

First of all, let me say, Jennifer Culkin is a wonderful writer who can tell a compelling story. She puts the reader in midst of the action and has them turning pages at a feverish pace in places.However I had expected more stories of her experiences as a flight nurse than the few instances she relates. Instead we have a memoir that incorporates more of her life and after a very exciting beginning story of an emergency flight, which makes the readers want more, we only get a few examples here and there.And instead she tells a lot of the accidents involving the rescue helicopters while performing their perilous flights many times in inclement weather, end up crashing into the cold waters of Puget Sound, several involving her co-workers.

That said, the stories particularly interested this reviewer being a former resident of the island where the author lives (she never identifies the island but it wasn't difficult to figure out it is Bainbridge Island) and an employee of a small rural hospital often needing helicopter services (which seems to be described several times as a small hospital on the Olympic Peninsula).Readers who are looking for page after page of flight nurse emergency experiences won't find it here, but as I said her story is compelling nevertheless.I would usually give something like this three stars, but with the familiar subject matter and her wonderful writing, I have to give it more like four stars. The fact that I was disappointed at not reading more of Culkin's emergency flight experiences keeps it from being a five-star read.

more a "literary" book than one about a flight nurse
A few years back I read the book "Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse" and enjoyed it.The back cover of this book promised something similar, a book about the stories of a flight nurse.Instead its more a book about her family with the occasional nursing story thrown in.And I should add that its written in somewhat of a "literary" style with polished sentences, carefully chosen adjectives, and all the other hallmarks of someone who's spent a lot of time taking writing classes.A little too burnished writing style for me, but your tastes may differ.

So if you're looking for a book about flight nurses, get "Trauma Junkie".If you want to read a glossy memoir from a writer who happened to be in the nursing line of business, this is the book for you.

There is one thing wrong with this book -- it ended!
Review of A Final Arc of Sky: A Memoir of Critical Care
Jennifer Culkin, Boston: Beacon Press, 2009.

By Judy Schaefer

Couldn't put it down! This is what we all say when we have read one of those special books that grabbed our attention from page one.Later on, we truly cannot come to grips with closing the book. Action! Thriller! A Final Arc of Sky is all that, written by an emergency nurse in a royal blue flight suit and steel toed boots.The language is beautiful and riveting.But this is not slow moving lyrical poetry. This is wind-in-your-face action. Tighten your seatbelt and hold on for the ride!

Roller coaster could have been woven into the title quite appropriately. This books flies and it flies up and down.She tells the reader about a roller coaster ride with her father.She says:
And then I had a sort of brain wave, from a center somewhat higher than the limbic system, a center that trumped the limbic system, and thought I couldn't know it then, it has served me often throughout my life, whenever I've been the least bit scared. As the car chugged up the hill, I realized that I was, in fact, alive - not just alive but fine - and I understood, thought I didn't have the words for it, that panic didn't have to rule the day. I saw I could make a choice about the cold fist in my gut and the roaring in my ears. I could ignore them, for one thing.

Culkin has just detailed in an artful way, the "guts" that so many nurses demonstrate. We all know that "cold fist." The animal like knowledge and confidence happens early on and is fine tuned over time into an intuitive sense of rightful clinical action for nurses. I like where the roller coaster ride falls, on page 146, within the 237 page book.The roller coaster metaphor that evolves from her real life experience holds the book together and is appropriately placed in the center.

Her narrative rides the metaphor throughout. We can learn that we as individuals can take our experiences and ride them out with our eyes wide open. We can enjoy a new view of an old and trusted landscape that has been long known to us. We can also close our eyes and ride it out. Closing our eyes is not only alright but sometimes necessary - just to survive. Either way - we ride it out.

Early on in the book we learn of her love of fast bike rides, especially with her son.Yet, she can go it alone. The nurse in this account is a lover of speed and action. She thrills to the action. She thinks quick. She moves quick.She braces herself. She braces and works on the edge while in flight. Although Culkin would probably object to my saying so, she is the ideal of emergency nursing and the perfect ideal of a flight nurse. She is self sufficient but a detailed check-the-list team player. She works within the fine lines of clinical detail and of flight team camaraderie.

While flying around out there in the mist and the fog, Jennifer Culkin cannot be romanticized as an angel in Royal Blue. While there is the temptation to describe her thusly, she is the first one to say, "I am in touch with my inner bitch. For better or worse." She describes herself frankly on page 171 when encountering a situation with her sister in providing care for their father. Her clarity and her "inner bitch" are welcome realities to other nurses and physicians who will read this memoir.And don't we get tired, sick and tired, and on some days one-step-in-front-of-the-other becomes a major effort.

Her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2001 comes as a surprise, to Culkin, herself, and likewise to the reader. Sick-and-tired in a health care worker, especially a driven emergency health care worker, is a ruling-out kind of nightmare and challenge. Pain, fatigue, and numbness, mental and physical, come with the territory. Culkin describes her situation (and others like her) bravely and accurately.

The geography of emergency flights in A Final Arc of Sky is America's great Pacific Northwest. The weather and the geography are main characters in the memoir and they play a role at every turn of her roller coaster. The nurses and pilots and other workers in the book have faced the night sky and survived. And the reader will learn, that sadly there are other workers who did not survive. The reader will twist, turn, and ride out the perils of the sky with Culkin and recognize the dangerous work that is done in the name of saving others.

The narrative of a nurse's battle with her own illness and her family's illnesses is a welcome and supportive story for those of us who often find ourselves or our loved one on the flat side of the gurney.Our clinical knowledge can be a help or hindrance but doesn't much change things in the long run. Or does it? Anyway, how do we ultimately know? Culkin presents the parallels of life and death flowing in their own ancient stream even while she works with passion to change the flow for her family, herself, her team, and her patients. It would be revealing and provocative to use this book for a hospital group discussion of the nurse or doctor as patient and/or as family.

Ultimately A Final Arc of Sky is a personal story, as all good stories are.I am especially proud to see this book join the growing collection of writing by nurses. But hold on - there is one thing wrong with this book. It ended.

very disappointing
I completely agree with the reviewer who said that this book was disappointed, disjointed, and lacked emotional warmth.I found myself not caring about any of the patients written about, or the author or her family.The focus on her family's health issues was unexpected and disappointing.I had read a review of this book in a magazine and was very excited to read it, and had thought I would pass it on to my daughter, who wants to become a nurse.I found myself skimming the last 50 pages just so I could put it away and start a new book.

Thoughtful and intimate memoir about caring for the critically ill
I read this book in less than 2 days.I don't know the author but work with flight nurses on a daily basis.

Every chapter has a different feel.Some are extremely personal about dealing with her parents, her siblings, feelings about her children and parenting and especially touching is the one about her struggles with multiple sclerosis.Other terrific chapters trace why and how her parents came to their own, very different, conclusions about end-of-life issues.

As a health care provider as well, I especially appreciated her insights about how people who work with critically ill patients have quite different approach to dealing with illness when people we love get sick.

Chapters on aging parents should be required reading for anyone over 60!

Finally, her writing style is lovely -- I re-read multiple sentences just because they were so thoughtful. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Dorothy Geeben, Chris Marquette, Ed Hearn, Frank Brogan, Howard Porter, Jack Kiefer, Jennifer Sky, Ralph Evinrude, James Davis, Laurie Rinker, Charles Emanuel. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 40. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Dorothy P. Colleen Geeben (March 31, 1908 January 11, 2010) was the oldest mayor in the United States. She served as the second mayor of Ocean Breeze Park, Florida, from 2001 to 2010. Geeben began her public service work on the Ocean Breeze Town Council in 1960. She became the council's president in 1976 and served in that capacity for thirty-one years. In 2001, after the death of Ruth Hoke, the first mayor and widow of Gene Hoke, son of the town founders, Harry and Queena Hoke. Geeben was chosen to be the next mayor. She served as mayor for the next nine years, running unopposed in the 2002 and 2004 mayoral elections. Geeben died on January 11, 2010, after missing the town meeting because she felt ill. Geeben started serving on the Ocean Breeze Town Council in 1960. Beginning in 1976, Geeben served as council president of Ocean Breeze Park, Florida for thirty-one years. In 2001, after the death of Mayor Ruth Hoke, widow of the Gene Hoke, Geeben was selected to be the next mayor. In the 2002 and 2004 mayoral election, no one ran against her. When she was ninety-four years old, Geeben saved Jansen Beach Christian Church from closing down. At the time, the church lacked a minister and had four parishioners remaining. Geeben's efforts revived the church, enabling it to retain a pastor and increase church membership to 100 people. In 2004, NBC ran a segment about Geeben after filming her for a day. In 2008, Geeben counseled her constituents when they were afraid that they would be forced to move. The people's homes were located in a park that was g...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=25802280 ... Read more

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"Did you ever plan to tell me about our baby?"

Something about his pint-size patient seemed uncannily familiar to pediatrician Blake Remmington. And something in Serena Dovesong's hauntingly dark eyes proved more conclusively than a blood test that six-year-old Nate was the result of their unforgettable night of loving. Well, Blake refused to let his paternity be denied. Little Nate belonged to him. But would Serena stand in the way of their becoming the family they were destined to be?

Customer Reviews (3)

YOU BELONG TO ME
I found this very slow and not very interesting at all. it drags on too much and doesn't keep you focused on the story.

Learning How To Love
This is the third in a twelve book series about how Garrett Kincaid findsthe seven sons, his son Larry had with six women over the span of 37 years,grandsons he only found out about after the death of his son.

BlakeRemmington is the twin brother of Trent, whom we met in the first book ofthis series. Blake is a Pediatrician, who just after joining a practice inWhitehorn, sees Nate Dovesong who has an allergic reaction to a bee stingand realizes that this is his son, whom he knew nothing about.

This bookis Blake trying to gain the love and respect not only from Nate, but fromhis mother Serena as well.It seems to him that he is doing all the wrongthings, because he didn't have a positive dad role model, he just seems ata loss to know what to do right.But with the help of Serena and even Natehimself he seems to come into his own.

This is a very good book, justlike the other two, I'm really looking forward to the next nine books.Forgood reading check out this series.

Love and obligation go hand in hand
Dr. Blake Remmington discovers he has a son the hard way. While treating acollege friend's son for what he suspects is a hereditary allergic reactionto a bee sting, he comes to the conclusion that this boy is his son. Ratherthan deny it, Serena Dovesong confirms his claim and, surprisingly,encourages his attempts to bond with Nate. She claims their father-sonrelationship has nothing to do with their friendship or theirrelationship.

Blake and Serena have no idea where their relationship willgo. Blake is afraid Serena and Nate don't need him in their life and Serenafears Blake will only view them as an obligation he must fulfill. Natesurprisingly prefers to keep his own counsel on the matter. What Blake andSerena learn, however, is that love and obligation go hand in hand. Blake'slove for Serena and Nate propels him to want to care for and protect themeven as the circumstances surrounding Nate's birth, as well as her ownchildhood, cause Serena to fear being beholden to the man she has loved foryears.

Jennifer Greene has written a good story about a man whosefeelings of being rootless are quelled when he falls in love with Serenaand the incredibly bright child they've created together. Her writing issteady and the characters she's drawn are strong. Much of Blake'sindividual development stems from the integration of an overarchingsubplot. But that, in turn, also works in favor of the development ofBlake's connection with the Dovesongs. ... Read more

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When rugged rancher Colby Holmes wanted to solve his aunt's murder, he reluctantly enlisted the help of stunning psychic Tessa Madison. And despite her mysterious beauty, Colby swore that he would never let a woman near his heart again. But it wasn't long before a burning desire tantalized him each time he looked Tessa's way. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

one of the best love stories ever!!!
this book was wonderful....i couldn't put it down...i liked it so much that i ordered 4 more books by Montana Mavericks. A must read.

Colby and Tessa-SPOILERS
Favorite scene with Tessa-
Her final confrontation with the woman who doesn't like her, and learning the truth about why she's so angry.

Favorite scene with Colby-
Being confronted by Tessa while there's a fire going on.

Together-
Finally realizing Colby has faith in her, and Colby realizing how much she really means to him, and uncaring about who and what she is.Tessa finally agreeing to marry him, and their happy ending.

What did you like about Tessa-
Her strength, and her innocence.No matter what people said or thought about her, she seemed to hold her head up high.Her love for kids, and wanting to protect those she cared about.

What didn't you like about Tessa-
Although she was strong, she was ready to leave town because of one stupid woman, and thinking that Colby didn't want her because of who and what she was.She didn't have faith in Colby.

What did you like about Colby-
His love for Tessa.Working hard to find out who murdered his aunt.

What didn't you like about Colby-
Although he loved Tessa, he didn't understand her and what and who she was.He almost lost her to finally understand.

If I had to cast Tessa, I'd cast Phoebe Cates.
If I had to cast Colby, I'd cast Cameron Mathison. ... Read more

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The bachelor in her bed...

After his car accident, Whitehorn's ruthless bank president Max Montgomery had no memory and even less patience. To some citizens, the "Young Scrooge" had gotten his just deserts. Or had he...? Trussed up like some Christmas goose, the handsome loner had to endure days of private nurse Samantha Carter's torture--strenuous physical therapy, wicked massages and baths, and the heart-stopping view of her mile-high legs and laughing green eyes. The kind of torture that could bring this confirmed bachelor to his knees. Max actually liked himself around Samantha, and knew his real anguish ran deeper: would she still care for him when the "old" Max returned?

Customer Reviews (1)

Losing his past gave him a new chance at life
Handsome and successful banker Max Montgomery had a reputation for being a young "Scrooge" in Whitehorn, Montana. He fostered this image, distanced himself from people, and yet he demanded a lot from them as well. He didn't believe in trusting his heart, he didn't believe in second chances. But a car accident results in the loss of his past. Though he retains his knowledge of business and all things functional, he can't remember a single person he used to interact with. From father to neighbor, he is forced to see the harsh man he was in the face of the man he could have been. As his private nurse, Samantha Carter is drawn to Max. Despite the rumors she's heard, she can't quite ignore her intuitive feeling that Max is not the monster everyone seems to think. As the days progress, she comes to reconcile the controlled man he was with the vulnerability he strove so hard to suppress, a vulnerability that comes to light in the face of his memory loss.

Jennifer Mikels' installment of the Montana Mavericks series is well written and engaging. Both Max and Sam are intriguing characters who come from different worlds. Where Max thrives on the power he wields and the control he demands, Sam is a free spirit. Both are drawn to each other because of the appeal this holds for each of them. Though Max's memory loss doesn't completely change the man he was, what seems to do is lower his guard and allow him to explore the man he might have been if a key event in his past had never taken place. Mikels does a terrific job of unveiling Max's past and the impact it had, and has, upon him. It does clarify his need for control and the not-so-secret reason why it is so essential to him, which is fear. Sam's free spirit and warm heart are just what he needs to give him a second chance though she has her own worries to deal with concerning her childhood and the instability of her background, which is something she both loved and resented. Though this story was clearly meant to be more about Max than Sam, which it was, Mikels does a great job in dealing with their relationship and Sam's concern for Max as well as the different worlds they come from which she fears could split them apart. I never got the feeling that either character was being shortchanged. Mikels does a wonderful job of striking a balance considering all she had to accomplish in order to tell this story. ... Read more

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A collection of poems for young children, illustrated in dramatic detail thatcelebrates wildlife and the natural world around us. Full color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Why I like Georgia Heard's books
All of the books I have read by Georgia Heard are very creative and fun and easy. These poems just flow from the beggining to end. They are simple to read yet bring on complex thoguhts. I recommend this book to anyone who'd like to read poems and just relax. ... Read more

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Tyger and her Windriders enter the Valley ofSky. Although their arrival fortells a new era, not all of Sky'sinhabitants welcome them.Book Two in the Wind Trilogy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The best series i've ever had the pleasure of reading
Book two of the Wind Trilogy, Fall Through The Sky, was one of the most awaited books in my wish list.When I found out that it had been published, I ran around and around trying to find it.When I finally found it, it was amazing to find that I couldn't put the book down.Tyger enthralled me once more as she did when I first read Escape To The Wind.I am eagerly awaiting Book Three, Drinking Silver Wine, the conclusion to the Wind Trilogy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

what a great idea
I think this is a great book for introducing young kids to astronomy. I bought it for my 4 year old son at the bookstore and caome online to order their other books ....It's a very hands on type of book with about 18 easy activities to do with your kid.And it comes with a page of stickers which you place on the activity page after you complete that activity. It's as basic as you can get which makes it easy to understand. It covers time, clouds, rainbows, moon, planets, stars.Really a great idea. ... Read more

Product Description
'Then a letter came for Aloo from a famous college in America. They offered him a place ...a place with a scholarship. Aloo could not believe it at first. He read the letter again and again.' Aloo is very happy, but soon he finds that it is not so easy. He will need money to live on, money for his plane ticket ...And then there is Mother ...The stories in this volume ofWorld Stories come from Malawi, South Africa, and Tanzania by African writers Steve Chimombo, Farida Karodia, and M. G. Vassanji. ... Read more

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An anthology of poetry celebrates the natural wonders of our world and details the human responsibility toward preserving the planet, in works by C. S. Lewis, Christina Rossetti, Joseph Langland, William Stafford, and other notable authors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The best childrens story ever!
I first encountered this childrens book in elementry school, this story had me so wrapped up. It is a beautifully illistrated book that has an amazing story of a jealous queen who stole the sky and made adress from it. This story is good for all ages.

... Read more

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Very touching
As someone who has lost both my mother and father, I found this book very touching and very well written in such a way as to convey the authors' father's strength and protectiveness over his daughters and wife.

This was very well written for both children and for adults to enjoy and gain something valuable from.The story helps demonstrate the importance of keeping your family relationships in perspective as demonstrated in this short story that one day we could be here and the next we could be gone.Don't take things for granted, let the people you love know that you love them before it's too late.

-Robert Davenport ... Read more

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Part historical document, part warm-hearted slice of cottage life, this beautifully illustrated book reveals the essence of Cognashene.

Customer Reviews (1)

Local History at its BEST
The history of a local area and its people--any local area--is fascinating, and this is one of the better books dedicated to the telling of such a local history. It reads like an oral history, as though you've sat down with several grandmothers and listened to them recount "the way things used to be" when they were young. More groups (this is put out by a Georgian Bay cottagers' association) ought to preserve their histories in this manner; if they don't it will all be lost. The book itself is gorgeous--wonderful photos all throughout--and quite obviously a great labour of love for its writers and editors. ... Read more

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A fascinating glimpse into the mysterious and still powerful world of traditional Native American medicine and folklore. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Absolutely Terrific!
If you enjoy western romantic short stories, then you'll enjoy this book!The two contemporary tales of Suzanna Brennan and Diana Brennan are delightful and the historical story of their great-great grandparents, Isabelle and Kyle Running Horse Brennan is enchanting!

Be sure not to miss historical anthology, Big Sky Grooms.The stories are about two Kincaid brothers, Caleb and Will and their cousin James.The book, Gunslinger's Bride continues their stories with little brother Brock.

Well Worth Reading!
I greatly enjoyed these stories!The tales consist of the contemporary stories of sisters, Suzanna and Diana Brennan and the historical story of the legendary love of their great-great grandparents, Isabelle and Kyle Running Horse Brennan.

Suzanna:Left-at-alter bride, Suzanna spent her wedding night with a sexy stranger.But when she discovered she was pregnant with his child, she didn't refuse the arrogant cowboy's proposal and found herself trying to win his love.

Diana:Diana couldn't turn down the chance of marriage and motherhood to her childhood love who's now a lonely millionaire and a single dad of a young girl determined to make them a family.

Isabelle:Citified Isabelle returns to the beloved ranch of her childhood determined to make it her permanent home.She and the handsomely sexy Native American ranch foreman marry to save the ranch despite the fact he's reluctant to admit his true feelings of desire and love.

Be sure not to miss Big Sky Grooms historical anthology of the sexy Montana Kincaid's and follow up with continuing story of a Kincaid brother in Gunslinger's Bride.

Big Sky Brides-Big Time Reading
I thought this was an excellant book.All 3 stories were well written. The connection to the community of Whitehorn was minimal, especially compared to other books in the Montana Mavericks series.At the same time these 3 stories stand on their own.They don't need the background ofprevious books in the series. If I had any complaint about the books wasthat the stories were too short.I like the characters of Suzanna, Diana,& Isabelle and wanted to read more about them.

A great new series by three of romances most beloved authors
I loved this new Silhouette anthology.Christine Rimmer and Jennifer Greene's stories are both contemps about two sisters, Suzanna and Diana.

Suzanna's wedding day had one small snag . . . no groom.She eases heraching heart with one wild night fling with a cowboy.A few months laterit becomes obvious she's carrying his baby and Suzanna finds herselfmarried to a stranger, a stranger she's falling in love with.

Diana'scome home to Montana, and falls in love with a little girl, a little girlwho just so happens to be the daughter of Diana's first love.When Treyasks her to marry him is it just for his daughter's sake, or could there beanother, deeper reason?

Cheryl St. John's contribution, ISABELLE, is ahistorical that introduces Diana and Suzanna's great-great-grandmother. After her father's death, Isabelle returns to the Big Sky Ranch, determinedto build a life for herself.But the ranch is in debt and there's only oneoption Isabelle can find -- marry Kyle Running Horse Brennan.Can amarriage that begins for practical reasons turn into something more . . .can it turn into a life-long love that will set the standards forgenerations of Big Sky Brides?

The three stories are a good fit, and afantastic read!I'm looking foward to reading the rest of the MontanaMavericks series! ... Read more