3 comments about The Jersey Shore; Atlantic City to Cape May: Great Destinations: A Complete Guide: Including the Wildwoods (Great Destinations).

1. This is a great guide to the South Jersey Shore- a place where I had the pleasure to live for six years. Many of my summer days were spent traveling down the Parkway and back up again, visiting many of the places Jen Miller highlights and also made me wonder how I missed some other spots she mentions (How did I never visit the Alpaca farm?). On that note, she has a lot of information here that even locals can appreciate:
   
   I had no idea Cape May is the third largest place in the US for weddings or that the Wildwood Boardwalk has more rides than Walt Disney World.
   
   Her descriptions of each beach town give a first-time vacationer a good feel which beach would be appropriate for them (except I don't think Avalon and Stone Harbor cater to visitors of "all economic stripes" . . . it's basically the Ritz of the South Jersey Shore). It also can help a regular visitor discover new things - Miller's encyclopedia-like listing of eateries could see you making a checklist out of the chapters.
   
   Particularly helpful are the pricing guides and notes about in-season and off-season hours.
   
   However, the true highlight of the book are the shaded areas within every chapter where Miller gives helpful hints - like how to prepare for running at the beach (watch out for the wind), provides back histories - like the story of Wawa and shines the spotlight on those out-of-the-way spots - (Where the hell is Strathmere?)
   
   Overall this is a great guide to the shore, though I would have appreciated more detailed descriptions of Somers Point, downbeach Absecon Island and Diamond Beach the same way Strathmere gets written up.
   
   This book is a great guide for shoobies (the nickname locals give to tourists) and also something that can get native South Shore people interested in their immediate environs. It will more than likely be updated in many future editions to stay current and it would be good to have handy on your next trip to the South Jersey Shore.



2. This book really didn't offer anything new; I was hoping for something a bit like the Weird U.S.A. series that gives the reader more obscure things to see and do.



3. I've spent my life at the Jersey shore. As a kid, I marveled at the Diving Horse on Steel Pier. I grew up with Mr. Peanut. When I had kids of my own, I took them to Wildwood and Ocean City and Sea Isle. Then, without the crowd, I discovered the peace and beauty of Cape May.
   
   This is what Jen Miller's book captures so well. Every shore is different. Every shore has its personality and purpose. You can't tell one from another without a really good scorecard. That's what this book is. Miller does an excellent job of capturing the psyche of each resort. The fact that she also turns this into a really good guidebook is a pure bonus.
   
   It's one of those books you'll highlight, scribble in, tear out and send to friends. I'm buying copies for a lot of folks I know. Maybe even Mr. Peanut.

No comments about Fodor's Cape Cod, Nantucket & Martha's Vineyard 2008 (Fodor's Gold Guides).

5 comments about Still Life with Chickens: Starting Over in a House by the Sea.

1. I bought this book because I have pet chickens. The story was great and I really related to the chicken stories.



2. I enjoyed the book. It combined my love for chickens, divorce plans from my husband, and my teenage daughter as personal links to the author's story. Well written overall, and it is always comforting to read a book that has such strong connections to your life.



3. There are numerous self-help books on the market that enable people to cope with major life transitions - divorce, the death of a spouse, the move to a new neighborhood, the onset of empty-nest syndrome. Nothing attacks life changes better, though, than the wit and mirth of Caterine Goldhammer's "Still Life With Chickens". Her conversational style is hilarious and reads as if she is sitting across the table from you over coffee and talking about her move to a fixer-upper house by the sea. My favorite paragraph is her observation about the simplicity of life as seen through the eyes of her brood of fluffy chicks: "The chickens went about their little chicken lives, eating and drinking and pecking. When I picked them up, they settled into the hammock I made of my shirt and went to sleep. Their beady little eyes drooped and they leaned their little heads against my thumb. Chickens are masters at living in the moment. I should stop worrying about them, I told myself. I should bow to their greater wisdom."
   A must-buy book for giving to friends who need a good laugh during difficult times.
   
   Christina Hamlett
   Author of "Movie Girl" and "Screenwriting for Teens"



4. This is a charming little book,with a happy ending..Perfect reading for a long trip on a plane, train, automobile..or a waiting room.



5. It's rare to find such a sweet, satisfying read on the topic of midlife changes and detours. While there's nothing terribly new in this memoir -- we've all read about painful divorces and renovating ramshackle houses in far-flung locations -- Catherine Goldhammer's voice and the clarity of her writing make this book highly relatable to women in the throes of change. As an empty nester facing transitions of another kind, I melted into the pages of this book and found comfort. Wish I could find more like it.

5 comments about Reading the Forested Landscape: A Natural History of New England.

1. See that tree? - that stone wall? - How about that mound of earth in the woods? Never noticed them before? Well this book will help you to discover all kinds of 'hidden' clues that help us to understand how the land was used in the past and what forces helped to make it the way it is today.
   
   This is a wonderful book to read and then put into practice as you ramble around the wonderful landscapes of New England.



2. I have grown up in new england and studied the biological sciences for 20 years and Tom Wessel knowledge and wonderful insight to the natural world is amazing. the book is a wonderful read and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the outdoors and natures beauty.



3. ...makes more sense after reading this book. The chapters give an introductory look at what you see when you walk through a forest and what it means to the ecosystem and to you if you're just curious or you are in wildlife management.



4. Before I read this book, I knew the woods had stories to tell; now, I can begin to understand them. This book is a forensic reference demystifying the clues the forest has to reveal. Each chapter describes, in depth, a particular setting and the clues found there. The drawings, unfortunately, are not as good or helpful as the writing. I would have preferred photographs, but it's only a small drawback.



5. I thought I knew the woods. "Reading the Forested Landscape" allows you to see what is in front of you, but not seen. I will never look at a woods in the same way again. Tom Wessels does a masterful job of showing you how to "read" the landscape. The book is a "detective novel" of information. I will read it again and visit the woodlands and do a bit of detective work. Great fun.

No comments about Maine: An Explorer's Guide, Fourteenth Edition (Explorer's Guides).

5 comments about Little Men.

1. Mention the name Louisa May Alcott, and most people will instantly think of "Little Women." But in my mind, the less often discussed "Little Men" is just as great, if not better.
   
   The story picks up shortly after the conclusion of "Little Women," with Jo and Frederick Bhaer running a school at Plumfield. Along with their own little Rob and Teddy, they are busy raising the neglected children of rich folks alongside the orphans they have taken in.
   
   While the boys exist in a virtual haven for good ol' fashioned fun upon the farmlike Plumfield, Mother and Father Bhaer still manage to teach them moral life lessons along with their classroom exercises.
   
   If you enjoy this book, be sure to pick up "Jo's Boys," which takes place ten years after "Little Men" and concludes the boys' stories.



2. Mostly I got this book because I never owned it and do own Little Women and Jo's Boys.I want my daughter to have the trilogy.I thought it was terrible.A mere series of goody-goody character sketches with very little holding it all together. If anything, it just underscored how Jo should have accepted Teddy! They were a great pair.I did not care about these boys much and even had trouble distinguishing them from one another.Jo's Boys was much better--at least a novel, so read Little Men only to fill in the blanks.



3. I was looking forward to having my own copy of Little Men, but the copy I received from publisher Hard Press had many grammatical and spelling errors. It did not have an appealing layout, either. I should return it for a better copy of the book which I know exist.



4. Who else would have liked to see the "hoyden" (read: assertive girl) Nan punch that simpering, girly-girly little twit Bess right in her lisping mouth?



5. It's a story I've read many times, but I did specifically want the cover that is pictured with this item (to match the others I have in the series), and that's not what I got. Very disappointed, a complete waste of money on my part, but not worth returning by the time I pay for interational shipping.

4 comments about Backroads of New England: Your Guide To New England's Most Scenic Backroad Adventures (Pictorial Discovery Guide).

1. When fall comes in New England, the trees turn into a splendid mass of reds, oranges and yellows that temporarily distract us from the coming winter. At the same time, the first fresh snowfalls have a special beauty that New Englanders love as well. But the first blush of spring causes a special joy to burst out from our hearts. In the lazy days of summer, we love to watch the wind blow the grasses and trees from languid poses.
   
   At any one of those times, I find myself thinking how much fun it would be to see some new sights in the context of those favorite New England conditions. In the forty years I've lived in New England, I've found many of my favorite locations purely by accident. The back roads are always the best. But I don't have the time to randomly drive all the back roads to find the best ones.
   
   That's where Backroads of New England comes in. Kim Knox Beckius has found 30 delightful drives over back road that mix scenery, history, culture and just plain fun. I have taken about half of the drives in the book, so I can swear by those. I am looking forward to doing the rest now that I know where to go.
   
   How can I tell I would like the others? First, Ms. Beckius provides helpful essays about where to begin, what to see, and what to stop and do along the way. She even includes some suggestions for hiking to beautiful waterfalls. Second, William H. Johnson's gorgeous photographs colorfully illuminate the main sights for each drive. Whether you love covered bridges, snow-capped peaks, delightful streams, pounding surf, or mysterious vistas, you can page through the book to find the places that speak mostly fervently to your soul.
   
   The book is also organized by state. So if you are planning to go just to Maine and arrive by air in Portland, you can simply focus on the Maine trips and those in New Hampshire and northeast Massachusetts that are not too far away. If you live in New York, and want to drive for no more than two hours, you can focus on that radius in western Connecticut and Massachusetts.
   
   I have been looking at travel guides for New England for many years. I've never seen a finer one for back roads adventures.
   
   Give it a try!



2. Kim Knox Beckius, a well-known New England travel writer, has teamed up with New Hampshire photographer, William Johnson, to create a pictorial guide to 30 scenic drives throughout the region.
   
   You get five scenic drives each from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Rhode Island offers up another four, and Maine weighs in with a larger six. The drives cover the best of New England, from mountains to the ocean, and from the lakes to the beaches. And a whole bunch more.
   
   Kim doesn't spend a lot of time on directions. They tend to be brief and on the side of the pages - enough to get you around but not much more. Kim focuses her travel writing skills on making sure you experience in words the sights, sounds, and smells of each region. The beautifully produced photography greatly enhances this experience.
   
   While I love this book if you're looking for one crammed with detailed directions and a step-by-step tour of attractions this isn't it.
   
   This is a book to keep near you throughout the long winter... to browse whenever you want to remember a drive already taken... or one waiting for you in the spring.



3. My wife and I just came back from vacation in New England. Aside from the Delorme maps, this book was the most important item we took with us. We went on several of the scenic drives described in the book, and they were all absolutely beautiful! The directions were perfect, even if they don't tell you the distances involved. The photographs in the book are worth the price alone, but it's even better when you come across the places pictured in the book and find out they're just as gorgeous as the author said they would be. If you're going to New England, you need this book.



4. This was obviously a carefully researched, well-written book, with great photos. But I was disappointed that there was so little focus on maps. Rather than showing a detailed maps of a recommended route, the author chose to write a verbal description of a recommended route. That's sufficient if you wish to follow the author's route exactly. But if you would rather create your own route with some guidance from the book, it's virtually impossible.

5 comments about One-Way Ticket: A Brady Coyne Novel (Brady Coyne Novels).

1. As a long-time Brady Coyne fan, I look forward to each new volume. This time I was not disappointed. Tapply writes flawlessly, creating believable characters and evoking scenes of New England in all its glory. Brady is just a likeable guy, a lawyer who created a career and lifestyle that couldn't be closer to perfect. A few super-rich clients pay for that in-town house and leave Brady time for all those fishing trips.
   
   One-Way Ticket is neither a legal procedural nor a police thriller nor even a classic murder mystery. Brady gets roped in (as usual) to help a client in a jam. He finds himself negotiating with Tony Soprano's Massachusetts counterpart - and sounding a lot like Robert Parker's Spenser. Up to now, Brady has always been the smooth sophisticated lawyer. Now he hangs tough. He even talks like Spenser at times, in those clipped tough sentences.
   
   Not a problem for me.
   
   What is a problem, though, is Brady's relationship with Evie. She comes across as an attractive woman of an appropriate age, but she just doesn't have a spark that would get us interested. She indeed goes through a personal challenge, but I her response seems a little odd. Hopefully the author was looking for a way to write her out of future installments. I could see Brady with that cute police officer. Or I could see him becoming a confirmed bachelor.
   
   And ultimately that's the challenge of the series. Brady Coyne may be a smooth lawyer to the rich, but he's presented as a realistic, plausible guy who just gets caught in a lot of situations as he tries to help his clients. Spenser, being larger than life, can attract a partner who's his equal in charisma. We can't let the woman outshine the hero so ... well, who cares? Tapply still writes some of the best murder mysteries around. When I need to curl up on a rainy afternoon, I appreciate that.



2. As usual William Tapply kept me on the edge of my seat. His standards never seem to lessen thank goodness. So r reading his books are not a waste of time.



3. This was my first Brady Coyne novel and I so enjoyed it. Tappley is laid back and brings the action on at a steady pace. It made me buy more!



4. I have never been disappointmed with this author, he does a fine job of moving me to a differnt city, and a different reality for me.



5. One-Way Ticket is one of the best Brady Coyne novels in some time. If you want to enjoy a fresh story that will remind you of many classic mysteries and dive into new complications in Brady's life, One-Way Ticket is your pass to lots of fun reading.
   
   Brady is enjoying his private life more and more. But the outside world keeps intruding. First, an old client, Dalton Lancaster, is beaten up. Looking into the matter, Brady finds more serious problems beneath the surface that involve one of Boston's least pleasant mobsters. Second, Something is eating on Evie, but she doesn't seem to want to tell Brady what it is.
   
   Before long, Brady's life is torn upside down and he's in the middle of some ugly situations that cannot be ducked or improved on. Brady finds himself playing a role more like a rough-and-tumble private detective than a lawyer and gentlemanly fisherman.
   
   In the process, Brady finds himself wanting to get more phone calls than he gets. In the meantime, he's on the hot seat in more than one way.
   
   The charm of this book for me was that Mr. Tapply has put much more character development into Brady and Evie than he usually does. That makes the novel more compelling and interesting. In addition, the solutions to the crimes that entangle Brady aren't quite as transparent as Mr. Tapply usually makes them. Further, the plot borrows elements from many classic detective stories from Raymond Chandler to Bill Pronzini through Robert Parker. It's homage to some of the most delightful themes that detective fiction provides: Who can you trust? What are my obligations to others? What's life all about?
   
   My only complaint is that the crime's origins aren't quite mysterious enough. Otherwise, this would have been a five-star novel.

5 comments about Brighton Rock.

1. Brighton rock is a interesting novel, a very good one. Are the characters realistic? is pinkie pure evil? Ida pure good? or is the answer more ambigious? can there be pure evil if its good for pinkie?
   
   really, this book is one you wont be able to relate with. The problems of these characters portray good and evil on a grand scale and only later, under quite study show difficulty in distinguising between the two. A great novel, well written.



2. Although Greene's "The Power and the Glory" takes a similar tack in its pursuit of that dread beast, the secular humanist, here the portraiture is done in even finer shades of grey. Furthermore, "Brighton Rock"'s Ida is given more internal monologue, and a larger piece of the action, than the ardent socialist lieutenant of "The Power and the Glory."
   
   Ida is perhaps the purest distillation of what must be referred to as "the modern woman." A distant descendant of Madame Bovary, she is no less dogged in her pursuit of her own good (at least what she perceives that to be), but perhaps without even Emma's vestigial sense of shame. She has absolutely no sexual compunction, but at the same time, believes in her own measure of good and evil. As the novel progresses, and more of her character reveals itself, the portrait of her conscience becomes truly terrifying. It has absolutely no built-in governor. It is like a brain without folds. It is blank Nietzchean will-to-power.
   
   Brighton Rock's chief strength, ultimately, is how prophetic it is. Millions of women in modern-day America (the West in general) are something like Ida. It is harder to say with certainty, perhaps, how many were like this in 1930s and 40s Britain, at the time of its authorship. In either event, credit must go to Greene -- for all of his technical lapses as a prose stylist -- for this spot-on bit of feminine psycholanalysis.
   
   As an aside, the musings on the notion of repentance, and the guilty conscience at the moment of death, are no less profound. There's a phrase which gets thrown around in this book, "between the stirrup and the ground", which sums up Greene's understanding of the relationship between the speed and the thoroughness of repentance.



3. BRIGHTON ROCK is unremittingly bleak. It features the blighted and ignored dregs of English society of the Thirties and, to be sure, their lives were pretty damn bleak. But other than a portrait of the underbelly of society, noteworthy for its time, there is little to commend this novel. The plot is only so-so. Greene's characteristic humor, even if it be dark and ironic, is missing. There is a lot about Catholicism, repentance, and the efficacy of religion in human affairs, but done in a way that I suspect would be interesting only to those who are obsessed with Catholicism. Were it not for the fact that this was Greene's first serious novel, I doubt that it would be kept in print or read much anymore.



4. What makes a book "good"? Is it gripping? enjoyable? convincing? I found this book utterly gripping and not at all enjoyable. It's one of the bleakest books I've ever read. There is no redemptive value to any of the characters. Maybe that's Greene's point- damnation is a major theme in the novel. I've heard one character, Ida, referred to as "brave" or "heroic", but she came off to me as equally depressing as the others--a busybody led on by a flimsy sense of self-righteousness, a juggernaut whose actions lead to death and sadness and who embarked on those actions almost for something to do. Pinkie is one of the most soulless characters ever created, and Rose has nothing other than her fanatical sense of loyalty. Never does anyone show genuine compassion, pity, or joy that is above momentary self-gratification. To be true, the story is a fascinating glimpse into the mind and soul of someone who believes himself to be beyond hope. It is vividly written, like most Greene, in economic, knife-edge prose. I was POWERFULLY moved by this book, and for that reason, I'm never picking it up again!



5. This is a gangster novel set in the sea-side, tourist town of Brighton in the 1930s. There are 3 main characters: Pinkie, Rose and Ida Arnold. Pinkie's a small time, tempermental, moody gangster, Rose is a naive, young girl who he gets involved with, partly to prevent her from testifying against him, and Ida Arnold is a bar denizen who implausible persistance in getting justice for her brief acquaintance Fred Hale moves the story.
   
   As a thriller, this book was too slow for my taste, as more high-brow literature, it was a little too hokey. Greene keeps having his characters talk about being 'Roman' as in Catholic. Pinkie and Rose seem to think about good and evil in Church terms and it struck me as pretentious and unbelievable.
   
   Greene's prose has been much praised, but I found it purple-ish. Here's a sample, from the initial meeting of Fred Hale and Ida Arnold, "She smelt of soap and wine: comfort and peace and a slow sleepy physical enjoyment, a touch of the nursery and the mother, stole from the big tipsy mouth, the magnificent breasts and legs, and reached Hale's withered and frightened and bitter little brain."
   
   Like others, I came to this book with high expectations, being that it was well recommended by some other authors, such as Truman Capote, so I was disconcerted by the actual reading experience. To be fair however, I did find some of the minor characters well drawn and there was a convincingly seedy atmosphere to the whole thing which was very Noir.

5 comments about Nantucket Open-House Cookbook.

1. Looking for interesting foods, lush ingredients, reliable recipes? Sara Leah Chase has it in her blood; these recipes are perfect in their uniqueness, but are so do-able. The comments prefacing each recipe are helpful, and bring back many memories of my 15 Nantucket summers. Her recipes often include traditional foods with an inventive, flavorful twist. This book is also just plain enjoyable to read. Chase's attitude is Good Food + Warm Hospitality = Memorable Times. Best recipes: hummous, scallop puffs, swordfish kebabs, duck breast w/ grilled radicchio, cranberry-kumquat relish...and every dessert.



2. I lost almost all of my cook book collection to hurricane Katrina. This is the book that I replaced first! I was so happy to find it here at Amazon since I have been looking for it for awhile. The recipes are those that I use over and over and they never fail to please.....Ms. Chase has a wonderful way with food that is both comforting and elegant. You will enjoy this book!



3. What a great cook book full of good ideas for entertaining. The recipes are unique and easy to follow. This is a go-to book for potlucks and parties.



4. Ms. Chase has a fresh, innovative style in her writing and recipes. I enjoyed reading this book as well as trying out some of the yummy, creative dishes. As I was researching Ina Garten's website, I discovered that Ina herself finds this cookbook to be indispensible in her own food preparation and also in sparking her culinary creativity. If Ina says it's good, it's gotta be good!!!



5. 
   I bought it in 1984, then misplaced it, I liked the recipes, and with Summer coming, decided to by it again