1 comments about The Mid-Victorian Generation 1846-1886 (New Oxford History of England).

1. K. Theodore Hoppen's book is an invaluable resource for students and scholars of the Victorian Generation. The breadth of its scholarship is extraordinary. It is teeming with important information and provides references for further reading. The book significantly adds to the scholarship of Asa Brigg's The Age of Improvement since it considers the era after the Second reform Bill of 1867 which is crucial to understanding the direction of English history.

1 comments about The Twisted Sword: A Poldark Novel.

1. The eleventh Poldark novel takes place entirely within the tumultuous year of 1815, and while not all of it concerns war, the conflict on the continent is certainly central to the telling of the tale in this penultimate book in the series. While the apparent surrender of Bonaparte is celebrated across Europe, the French tyrant plots to break his word and return from exile on the island of Elba. Unaware of the imminent re-appearance of this foe, the Poldarks, like their countrymen, mark the coming of peace with parties and gladness of heart. Geoffrey Charles reflects on his years in the army and speaks of his pride in having seen the war through to its conclusion. Even Jeremy, stationed across in the Low Countries, returns home to Cornwall and at last is married to his great love, Cuby Trevanion. Ross and Demelza are overjoyed for their son and wish him and his bride the deepest of happiness. All seems too well, and it does not last, of course. As England rejoices, Bonaparte sneaks back into France and reignites his adopted nation in vicious anti-British militancy. At the head of an army bent on revenge, he marches north, and now the English scramble to again field a force to meet him. The newlywed Jeremy abruptly leaves a shocked Cuby behind, and is accompanied to the front lines by his veteran cousin Geoffrey Charles, as they begin a hasty journey toward destiny at a Belgian town called Waterloo.

No comments about New England Legends and Folklore.

4 comments about On a Wing and a Prayer.

1. I just LOVE the characters in this series and Katherine Valentine's newest installment does not disappoint. Just a few pages into the first chapter, and I'm transported back to this wonderful New England town filled with funny and heartwarming characters. I feel like I never left.
   
   On A Wing and A Prayer begins when the Gallagher twins fall through the ice while playing hockey. Rodney is saved, but by the time the rescue team arrives to save Dudley, his prognosis is bleak. Making matters worse, Doc Hammon must entrust his patient to a stranger in order to undergo heart surgury. As always, the people in Dorsetville rally round, stocking the Gallagher's freezer to overflowing with food, and round the clock prayers. The ending was quite a surprise and one I thoroughly enjoyed.



2. Katherine Valentine is one Christian writer who can deliver an uplifting message without being preachy or sappy. Her latest installment about the folks at St. Cecilia's is no exception. I can't wait to see what she does in her new series (?) about Bend Oaks due out in June 2006!



3. I love Katherine Valentine's subject matter, her characters and her lively and humorous writing style. I read this book in one sitting, then immediately purchased the next 3 Dorsetville books, and the first book in what I hope will be another series.
   
   The only reason I've given the book 4 stars instead of 5 is because the story is almost too idyllic. Yes, we'd all love to believe that somewhere out there a town filled with people like this exists, but for most of us, it just sounds too good to be true.
   
   Despite that, I still loved these books and they all have a permanent place in my collection because I know I'll read them all again, and again.



4. This was yet another great sequel in the Dorsetville series and I once again had trouble laying it down.
   
   The mischievous Gallagher twins are playing ice hockey at the beginning of this story, and a horrible accident occurs when Rodney falls over into the pond which is smothered in ice. Dexter, terrified for his twin chases him and falls in too. The rescue team manages to get both boys out of the ice. Rodney only has a case of hypothermia from which he rapidly recovers, but Dexter is near death and in a serious coma.
   
   The whole church family of St. Cecilia's and Father James gathers round with prayers, even though the doctors know that Dexter will never wake up. As time goes on, the hospital staff is asking their parents to pull the plug, and they just cannot bear it. Time will tell here what happens.
   
   Arlene Campbell is trying to stick with her husband Fred who is becoming worse with his Alzheimer's condition. Things become more and more difficult with Fred, especially after he nearly starts a big fire and almost burns the house down. It is then that Arlene knows she must consider a nursing home.
   
   Deputy Hill is more wreckless then ever while driving and wrecks another cruiser again. Sherriff Bromley is about to give up on him until Hill saves the governor's life in a car accident.
   
   Wendy, the devoted waitress is having her own share of troubles. On top of everything else, she fears that her husband is having another affair.
   
   The book is very down home and what I call a cozy read. The people in Dorsetville all have a strong faith that carries them through life and the many turns of events.

No comments about Hiker's Guide to the Mountains of Vermont.

No comments about Maine Curiosities, 2nd: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities, and Other Offbeat Stuff (Curiosities Series).

No comments about The Last Slider.

2 comments about Sikorsky Legacy, The, CT (Images of Aviation).

1. For somebody who cannot even spell SIKORSKY Jack, maybe you should read the book and judge the author for the books content and not his personal life! Man what a jerk some people can be.
   
   Get a life!



2. This book was written by Igor Sikorsky's son (who was also the V.P. of Engineering for a while). It is more of a photo album then a book but it is great. There is a brief write up of each era in his father's work describing the main challenges. There is also a good photo of each aircraft that was built (including experimental aircraft). The caption for each photo explains why the craft was built and its historical significance. I am currently an engineer at Sikorsky and my copy of this book has been circulating around engineering. Everybody enjoys it.

2 comments about Returning: A Spiritual Journey.

1. I started reading this book while Comet Hale-Bopp was at its brightest. I quickly came to understand that journalist/novelist Dan Wakefield's journey was the spiritual version of a comet. He begins with a fairly typical midwest Christianity, then moves to agnosticism, then moves to atheism, then moves to attending a Unitarian church, within which he moves back into Christianity.

   His journey, like that of a comet, took him far from his home, his roots, his faith, his God, to the cold and darkness that filled his life. But when the return journey began, like a comet, his life grew brighter as he came nearer to the faith that he found to be the center of his journey.

   As he looks back, Dan Wakefield sees the ways that God has been with him throughout the long journey. Like the gravity that calls a distant comet to make its journey back toward the sun, so was God pulling on Wakefield. Reading the story of his return was more stimulating than watching Hale-Bopp on its journey.




2. Spiritual memoirs tend to follow the same plot line. It's the boy meets girl story with God substituted for the girl. There's nothing wrong with the formula, the author's job is to make it fresh and interesting. Dan Wakefield doesn't get the job done. The structure of "Returning" is linear, the pace is ponderous, and the insights only moderately interesting. In fact, the entire book is an exercise in moderation, written by a moderate talent, who, on the evidence presented, has lived a moderate life. It's no wonder Bill Moyer's, a paragon of moderation, liked this book. There are parts of this book where the author could have revealed more. The account of his nervous breakdown is scary, but all too brief, and on too many occasions - bouts of adolescent [activity], unsuccessful psychoanalysis, addiction to alcohol - Mr. Wakefield seems like a kid in a confessional. He rushes through his sins in order to be unburdened, but also undiscovered. It doesn't work. If we give the penitent the benefit of our attention, he should give us the benefit of a compelling story.

1 comments about Real Vermonters Don't Milk Goats.

1. In America, most people live an urban or suburben life. Then you have Vermonter's, who tend to view the world from a rural perspective. This book is a funny way for outsiders to understand Vermonter's while the Vermonter's poke fun at themselves. As an expatriot Vermonter I can recommend this book as fun reading.