No comments about The Seasons of New England.

No comments about Gravestones of early New England, and the men who made them, 1653-1800.

4 comments about The Beauty of Vermont.

1. Vermont Life has chosen such a stunning series of photographs to showcase the state's best asset- nature through its four glorious seasons- that you'll feel as though you're on a mini vacation every time you open the book. The photographs rival any found in National Geographic or Sierra Club publications, and the accompanying text- written by Vermont Life's long time editor-in-chief- richly but succinctly describes the state's geography and people, as well as the ongoing push and pull between man and nature. For people (like myself) who have already fallen in love with the state, the book is a coffee table treasure.. but for those who aren't quite sure what the hype is about, it may be a bit too "rah, rah Vermont."



2. Vermont Life magazine has been featuring striking photographs of the natural beauty of this New England state for more than fifty years. The best of those images have been assembled in The Beauty Of Vermont and enhanced with an informative, reader friendly text by Tom Slayton as the reader is treated to Vermont's Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter landscapes and charm. The Beauty Of Vermont is a lovely book for browsing and will provide both inspiration and motivation for family trips and personal sojourns to see and explore more of Vermont's natural beauty and folksy charm.



3. As a frequent tourist to the Green Mountain State, I found this book to be a fantastic collection of all the reasons I continue to come back year after year. Gorgeous, stunning photography of the four best reasons to visit Vermont - summer, winter, spring and fall. Not to be overlooked, though, is the captivating and conversational prose by Vermont Life Editor, Tom Slayton. He effortlessly puts into words the many feelings the state's beauty evokes. A fantastic book to add to any collection of New England or photography books.



4. Here in a single volume is one of the best collections of beautiful photographs of Vermont I have as yet examined. They were taken by Vermont Life magazine's contributing photographers, with a crisp and eloquent text provided by Tom Slayton. Technically, I guess, this would be called a "coffee table book" and indeed that is where it resides in my home, except when I pore through it again (which I do each day) or when a family member or guest does so. The reproduced art (which such great photography truly is) is organized logically and appropriately according to the four seasons. Many persons who have never visited Vermont perhaps think of it in association with the poetry of Robert Frost. There are many other locales elsewhere in New England (notably in northwest Connecticut and throughout New Hampshire and Maine) could just as easily provide images which Frost's poetry evokes. For me, however, there is a texture and there are certain nuances to Vermont ("A State of Nature") which are unique. They are captured vividly in the stunning photographs provided in this volume.

   Pretend that you have arrived in the state and have retained Slayton as your tour guide. "Take us to your favorite places. Help us to understand why you are so fond of each place. In other words, introduce us to Vermont at its best." In essence, that is what this volume does. The initial impact is so great, so enjoyable, that you will wish to return again and again. A magnificent volume such as this enables you to do so. Those who share my passion for Vermont are urged to subscribe to Vermont Life magazine. Also, to purchase Richard W. Brown's The Soul of Vermont.

No comments about Authority and Conflict: England, 1603-1658 (New History of England).

5 comments about Death in Paradise (Parker, Robert B.).

1. ...this is a slight book. Uninteresting characters, predictable plot, an endless subplot about the main character trying to figure out if he has a drinking problem, passionless love interest. Parker used to be one of the best but now he's on autopilot, I fear.



2. In Jesse Stone's third adventure, a young girl is found floating in the lake - shot through the head. Discovering her identity is difficult, especially since her parents, once found, are loath to admit her existence. Traveling into the gritty underbelly of organized crime and teenage prostitutes, Stone works to find the killer. Subplots involving his attempts to curtail his drinking and put his love-life in order sometimes bog down the plot, which caused me to drop a star, but overall this is a strong story with a good plot.



3. I love Robert Parker's Jesse Stone! And again in "Murder in Paradise" he has written another Winner Plus! So great you want to read it again as soon as you get to the end. And I adore all of the Jesse Stone TV Movies. And they adapted this book for TV too and it is even(believe this or not) Better then the book! You will not be disappointed in any way. Buy it today and enjoy!



4. Robert B. Parker, best known for his Spenser series, delivers one of his finest, most absorbing works yet. This third entry in the Jesse Stone series finds Stone--a former LAPD cop fired for drinking on the job--serving as chief of police in the town of Paradise, Massachusetts, and investigating the murder of a teenaged girl whose decomposed body turns up in the local lake. As he follows slender threads of evidence into an ugly world of exploited teens, several subplots crisscross, keeping things lively.
   But Jesse's struggle with alcohol and his loving, troubled relationship with his ex-wife are at least as compelling as the external plot events. Parker gives his characters an inner life, he paints an understated, believable picture of a tough guy wrestling with tough issues. This smooth-reading book goes down easy but packs a punch in the end. --



5. Not a bad crime novel. There is very little mystery to any of it. You know who the criminals are, what they are going to do and how. The only mystery is what Jesse can do about it. Parker further deveops Jesse as a character. You get a little puzzled by the whole ex wife thing. Why doesn't he just forget about her? I am left wondering.
   
   But a readable book.

1 comments about Forgotten Cape: 1940-1960, The (MA) (Images of America).

1. THE FORGOTTEN CAPE is one of the titles from Arcadia Press' IMAGES OF AMERICA series depicting the changes which occurred in Massachusetts' famous Cape Cod region. Mary Sicchio has collected a number of photographs by Richard Cooper Kelsey (who is shown on the book's cover photographing Wychmere Harbor in Harwich prior to the opening of Thompson's Clam Bar) ranging from 1940-1960, give or take ten years each way. Kelsey was one of Cape Cod's best known photographers, his works gracing many books and postcards. The photographs included in the book show the development of Cape Cod from a picturesque seaside community to the major vacation resort it would become. All facets of Cape Cod are included: the natural beauty of the land and oceans, the lighthouses and historic sights, the commerce, houses, and people who populate the Cape, both locals and vacationers. People familiar with the Cape will marvel at how much of the Cape has changed but also how many parts of the Cape have remained the same.
   
   As someone who has vacationed at Cape Cod for part of just about every summer of my life, and makes numerous day trips to the area (at least twice a month most months), this book has been enjoyable to peruse. I can remember visiting some of the places no longer in existence: lunch at Lobster in the Rough or if I never did actually eat there, at least passing by it; the Chatham Life Saving Station prior to its being moved to Race Point, and the Mid-Cape Highway when it was somewhat rustic. It can help but make a person nostalgic. Yet I was also struck that as much as the Cape has been developed, and it's easy to bemoan the changes, the Cape has also stayed the same. Many of the shots along the National Seashore or those of the Chatham Fish Pier could have been taken just this past year, so little has changed. Perhaps this is why the Cape has remained so popular and beloved: its ability to both change and remain the same.
   
   This book is a great gift idea for anyone who loves Cape Cod, especially people who have vacationed at the Cape for a number of years. The excellent captions below the photographs make it a great gift for history buffs too.

3 comments about Fly Rod Crosby: The Woman Who Marketed Maine.

1. This captivating, informative and fresh volume betrays an excellent working knowledge of the subject. From a lifelong Maine resident who published a tourist guide for about ten years (nearly three decades ago), please accept my sincere thanks. Such an evening of "pure joy" this account of Fly Rod (and those newly-revealed photographs) brought to me! Even 8 months after reading it, I remember with pleasure this account from "old Maine." The volume is still displayed, so guests also can "enjoy the read!"



2. A carefully researched, entertainingly written biography of a woman who in many ways defied the conventions of her era - but who was in many other ways limited by them nevertheless. You do NOT have to be interested in hunting and fishing to find Cornelia Crosby's story inspiring and enjoyable.

   --Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of "Granite Island"




3. This is a very interesting book about a colorful woman who put Maine on the map with her tireless writings and promotions. The first part is about Cornelia's life, and the second part is from "Fly Rod's" letters and an album of vintage photos by Edwin Starbird. It all makes for a fascinating collection about this bold New Englander!

   With an odd nickname like Fly Rod, Cornelia Crosby was bound to attract people's interest. Not only that, she was six feet tall and unusually athletic for nineteenth-century women. Ironically, she tended to be sickly as a child, so her doctor prescribed being in the outdoors as a cure. Cornelia discovered she loved to hunt and fish in the Maine woods. As a young woman, she began to write about her adventures in a popular newspaper column, using the pen name "Fly Rod." The name stuck. Sadly, a knee injury put an end to Fly Rod's active outdoor adventures, but she remained beloved by many for the rest of her long life.

2 comments about Fifty Hikes in Massachusetts: Hikes and Walks from the Top of the Berkshires to the Tip of Cape Cod.

1. This book is great, especially for a beginner at hiking (which I am). It gives you great spots to check out, lets you know how long the distance is and about how long it will take to hike it. You can find hikes from .6 of a mile to 8.5 miles. There are plenty of hikes for every level. The only thing I wish the book had slightly more detailed trail maps, but usually you can get them easily enough.



2. This book, like others in this series, is really a set of easy walks, not hikes. Admittedly, I am an avid hiker, but nothing longer than 8 miles is present (not a single overnight hike). Also, many of these hikes are somewhat roundabout. While I'm all for loops, these are on not-too-clearly labelled areas with quite a few road walks. It seems like there must be more in Massachusetts than this.

1 comments about The Literary Trail of Greater Boston: A Tour of Sites in Boston, Cambridge, and Concord, Revised Edition.

1. Susan Wilson has done a wonderful job writing essentially a "travel" book in an approachable and compelling style. Her instructions and "trails" are clear and logical and take you into some of the prettiest areas in Boston and the surrounding towns. Yet while she is directing you in and among the alleyways, Wilson manages to weave a compelling history of characters and places that has you heading for your local library to check out long-forgotten authors. I've drawn up a whole "Boston" reading list to reacquaint myself with some old friends and maybe make some new ones.

1 comments about Providence, The Renaissance City.

1. It is a truly extraordinary transformation. Thirty years ago if you were brave enough to walk around downtown Providence, Rhode Island after dark it was quite concievable that you would not encounter another human being. It was really a dreary place. And if you did happen to run into someone there was a pretty fair chance that the person was up to no good and your own personal safety may have been in jeopardy. It was not a pretty picture. So just what happened in those intervening three decades to transform Providence into one of the hottest and most admired cities in the nation? "Providence: The Renaissance City" attempts to tell that story.
   Author Francis J. Leazes Jr. is a professor of Political Science and Public Administration at Rhode Island College. His co-author Mark Motte is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Geography at the same school. The authors have attempted to piece together the remarkable story that is the Providence renaissance. It is a complicated story revolving around a number of key players from varied backgrounds. The truth is that the transformation of Providence could never have taken place without the commitment of powerful political leaders at all levels of government, determined civil servants, a tireless and engaged elite who truly loved their city and entrepreneurs who became convinced that investing in Providence at that moment was the wise thing to do. The story of Providence is also about vision and being willing to make adjustments and seize opportunities as they became available. You will come to understand why certain projects like the Providence Place Mall, Waterplace Park and the relocation of the railroad tracks came to fruition while other projects seemed to stall or fail altogether. There is certainly a lot to be learned from the experiences in Providence.
   While I certainly enjoyed reading "Providence: The Renaissance City" I would probably not recommend it for general audiences.
   The book is more a case study and as such would be appropriate reading for anyone involved in urban planning or certainly for students interested in the future of our cities. Readers who live in the area and who are familiar with many of the places and the players would also find this to be a worthwhile read. I particularly enjoyed the "before" and "after" photos of the city. Again, the changes that have been made are stunning. All in all, a very worthwhile project and I congratulate the authors for a book that will be a fixture in local libraries for decades to come.