2 comments about New England (Eyewitness Travel Guides).

1. These travel guides are the best! I have used them all over Europe, so decided to try it for the States. I like the city center maps, pictures and Place to Eat and Places to Stay. We have traveled for years with a plane ticket, ATM card and one of these travel guides. Makes being a gypsy easy!



2. If you are going to take a tour of New England this is a must have book. It includes great ideas for touring around Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. If you are only going to Boston you are probably better off buying the cheaper Boston guide but any tour of New England needs this book. The pictures are great and as always the division by region is a great way to see things. Whether you are touring the whole thing or just a few states this book is an excellent start.

No comments about American Map Corporation Cape Cod, MA Street Atlas.

1 comments about My Beloved Son.

1. This was just an enjoyable book. I have read it three times and will read again in the future. It takes place in war torn England and it is beautifully written. It has romance, drama, mystery and all the elements of a good book. There is murder, deception and love. The story is never dull and the characters are likable and believable.

5 comments about Autumn: A New England Journey.

1. I spent two years in Boston and I was surprised at the beauty of New England especially in autumn. This book always reminds me of sweet memories in Boston and beautiful foliage in New England.



2. I spent two years in Boston and I was surprised at the beauty of New England especially in autumn. This book always reminds me of sweet memories in Boston and beautiful foliage in New England.



3. The photos in this book are exceptional. Combined with the writings of New England authors this book celebrates the wonder and spirituality of nature that we, non-writers, feel but for which cannot find the words.



4. This is indeed a beautiful book. It was originally published in 1988 and re-published last year. But the photos look like they could've been taken last week. There are 90 photos taken throughout New England (mostly in Northern N.E., it seems) and they vary from woodland landscapes to bayside scenes, and a variety of sorts in between. It's nice to see a little diversity because, believe or not, looking at a book full of Autumn landscapes could actually be somewhat monotonous.

   I enjoyed some of the poetry/writings, such as that from Emerson, Thoreau, and Frost, but I didn't take much from the likes of Emily Dickinson and E.A. Robinson. But I'm not a big fan of poetry to begin with.

   The "flaw" that I alluded to is something I think any photographic book like this gets nailed with: the pictures are exciting to look at a limited number of times. So maybe you only pull this book off the shelf a couple times a year to browse through and reflect on the joys of the best time of year -- like maybe after a hot Summer day.

   All in all they did some good work, even putting together a rudimentary tour guide that points out some viewing hotspots in each N.E. state.




5. I've never had the pleasure of going to New England during autumn but I desperatly wish to and after enjoying a book like this, the ache is only worse! This is a lovely book to own and browse whenever the hunger for the color of fall leaves, the long stretch of early evening shadows and the smell of buring wood seems far, far away. We have no where near as sectacular (or long) of an autumn in Texas but that doesn't keep many of us from respecting and longing for this most reflective and moody of all seasons. This book captures so much of the romantic, misty images with common and comfortable pictures. This with the beautiful works of great writers including (in my own opinion) the greatest, Robert Frost, make this book a joy. As I write this, it's summer in Texas and near 100. I'm going to crank the A/C down and make a cup of cider....

1 comments about Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas (Natural History of New England Series).

1. Massachusetts residents who are more than casual bird observers will find this weighty reference a treasure trove of invaluable information: Collaborative compiled and co-edited by Wayne Petersen and W. Roger Meservey, the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas offers over a hundred grid maps almost two hundred depicting the distribution of all breeding birds, provides full-page accounts for all confirmed species, and includes nature art by John Sill and Barry Van Dusen. Add distribution maps and you have a superb contribution to the growing library of ornithological reference literature.

No comments about Somerville, Massachusetts: A Brief History.

5 comments about Over Sea, Under Stone.

1. The three Drew children, Simon, Jane and Barney, are on holidays in Cornwall with their mysterious Great- Uncle Merry. One rainy day they stumble on a hidden staircase to the attic of the old house they are staying in. In the attic they find a centuries old manuscript and what appears to be a map.
   The manuscript and map appear to give directions to finding the hiding place of the Holy Grail, but the Drew children must decipher the clues quickly, as other, unsavoury people are also after the grail.
   Susan Cooper's `Over Sea, Under Stone" is first in the `Dark is Rising' series, but it is really more of an adventure story, rather than a fantasy story. It is an enjoyable story, with the Grail angle adding a little spice to the story



2. The three Drew siblings, Barney, Jane, and Simon, are taken by their parents to Cornwell for the summer holiday. Their great-uncle Merry, aka Merriman Lyon, has arranged for them to stay in the house of an old sea captain who is away for the season. One day while exploring the house, the children discover an ancient map. The map is very old and seems to be connected to King Arthur. They show the map to Uncle Merry, who is a scholar and historian. He informs them that the map is a treasure map leading to a grail (not the Holy Grail), an object of extreme importance. He tells the children that he cannot decipher the map for them, but he can help watch over them and protect them if they choose to search for the grail. He also tells the children that he is an agent of the forces of light and goodness and that there are agents of dark and evil looking for the map and the grail, too. Thus what begins as a vacation to the sea for the Drew children, turns into a life-changing and dangerous adventure with huge consequences.
   
   OVER SEA, UNDER STONE is the first book in "The Dark Is Rising" series. The book is a bit different from the other books in the series because it revolves solely around the Drew children. Therefore, there are no supernatural events and magic involved. Because there is no magic, there are many who find OVER SEA, UNDER STONE to be the weakest story in the series. I'm not one of those and find the story one of my two favorites (THE SILVER TREE is the other) in the series. When I first read the series as a boy, OVER SEA, UNDER STONE was the one I could relate to best because it was about ordinary children partaking in an extraordinary adventure. The kids speak, act, think, and react as children do. Everything is very realistic and the children are highly identifiable and relatable. Highly recommended for those who like young adult fantasy novels.



3. Simon, Jane & Barney are off on their summer holidays with their mum & dad, to a holiday house in the village of "Trewissick" on the Cornish Coast, where they will all stay with Great-Uncle-Merry in a rambling old house overlooking the sea. They are all thrilled to be going to Cornwall, but none more so than Barney, the youngest, who loves the stories of Arthurian Legend and dreams of stories of King Arthur and his Knights. He can't wait to see Cornwall, the land of the Pendragon, the centre of Arthurian myth.
   
   On a miserable rainy day at the beginning of their holiday, the children decide to make an adventure of exploring the house where they are staying. Locked cabinets, chests and personal papers are out of bounds but they are free to explore the rest of the house as they like. In real Enid Blyton style they soon discover a secret stairway hidden behind a large heavy wardrobe in the boys' bedroom... and off they go to explore.... An ancient treasure map soon emerges & the children have found an adventure for their holiday... secrets to discover.
   
   But are they out of their depth? They don't seem to be the only people chasing after hidden treasure. Soon, they find an ally in Great-Uncle-Merry & Rufus, the dog... but can they reach the treasure before the sour Mr & Miss Withers, the rude ruddy-faced boy, Billy and the man they think is the vicar?!!
   
   A good, innocent, Famous-Five-style adventure story (first published In 1965), with just a hint of Arthurian legend & magic thrown in. From reading other reviews, it sounds as though the magic & legend are developed in the rest of the series, so here I guess just the foundations are laid. The children are all very cheery, optimistic, happy-go-lucky, although individual characters aren't developed at all in the story. Well-written, with more depth than an Enid Blyton story, lacks pace in a few places but overall recommended.



4. I started listening to this story and it sounded so familiar I swore I'd heard the story before - but I hadn't. I think it melds a lot of recent YA together, with a dash of The Davinci Code. This is not exactly a glowing endorsement, but if I am completely honest... it wasn't that bad. It was solidly mediocre.
   
   The main characters were likeable enough, though some of the lesser characters were just confusing. It was hard to really understand them, to get a grasp of their actual character. I think some of this was on purpose, to retain a sense of mystery (this is, after all, the start of a series) but some of it was just baffling. I would have preferred a bit more of a twist at the end of all of that action, and the end felt a bit blah. Still, overall it was easy to listen to, intriguing enough to hold my interest, and I will probably listen to the next book in the series.
   
   If you're a fan of the mysterious treasure map-hunting storyline, don't mind some obscurity and a few cliché characters, and are looking for a fairly light but action-packed read, this might be for you.



5. "Over Sea, Under Stone" is the first book in the "The Dark Is Rising" series, and it's a good start. Having said that, I'm enjoying the second book more; it's worth getting through some occasionally dry sections in this book so that you have the background you need to read the rest of the series.
   
   At first, I was a little worried by some similarities to "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" --- a group of siblings leave home and discover something unexpected hidden in the dusty corner of an old house. But as the story goes on, the resemblance is entirely coincidental. What the two books do share, though, are the elements of enduringly good children's fiction: a struggle to accomplish a goal of more than personal importance (not just growing up to like yourself, for example), narrative language that doesn't "write down" to the reader (and doesn't use slang or pop culture, which sounds too much like an adult trying to be trendy and ends up dating a book --- who can read the Hardy Boys now?), and an emphasis on moving the story forward rather than on hitting "teaching points." "The Dark Is Rising" series has a lot of the elements that make the "Narnia" books, the "His Dark Materials" books, and the "Wrinkle in Time" books so good.

No comments about Exploring Maine On Country Roads And Byways.

No comments about Snowflake Bentley Man of Science Man of God.

1 comments about Mount Hope;: A New England chronicle.

1. Excellent telling of the events leading to the assination of the Indian Chieftain "King Phillip" and the succeeding developement of the town of Bristol (RI) as a major seaport prior to the Civil War.