2 comments about The Rangeley and Its Region: The Famous Boat and Lakes of Western Maine.

1. The Rangeley Lakes region of western Main is an area dominated by four big lakes and linked by streams. This lake system more resembles a series of inland seas than simple and connected freshwater lakes. Sporting camps and lodges became numerous and as tourists were able to access the area by carriage, train, and steamboat in ever larger numbers, a local economy evolved that included craftsmen, entrepreneurs, and guides. By the 1870s a double-ended, lightweight, shapely, swift boat was developed and favored by guides. "The Rangeley And Its Region: The Famous Boat And Lakes Of Western Maine" by Stephen A. Cole (director of natural resources and sustainable communities programs at the community development corporation Coastal Enterprises, Inc.) is the detailed and profusely illustrated history of the area along with the technological innovations and cultural changes associated with the distinctive boat included seas added to the thwarts fo keep the craft passenger centered, and a squaring of the stern to accommodate a motor. The hand-crafted Rangeley boat declined with the coming of post-World War II introduction of factory produced aluminum and fiberglass boats. Yet this unique craft continues to be seen plying the waters of the Rangeley Lakes. "The Rangeley And It Region" is a unique and highly recommended regional history that would make a welcome and popular addition to academic and community library collections.



2. This book is extremely interesting to anyone interested in the history of Western Maine or the Rangeley boat. I loved the old photos with their captions describing a charming time in Maine's history. As an amuture boat builder I found the information on the developement of the Rangeley boat and its builders helpful and informative.

No comments about No Laughing Matter.

5 comments about Man and Wife.

1. Great book. There are some false moves here but its just Klavan's way to keep his readers guessing. The ending was an unexpected surprise and nice to boot. Klavan is a master at the craft of creating a believeable plot with nagging mystery throughout.



2. Psychiatrist Cal Bradley has an uxurious love for his wife Marie, a simple soul, good wife and mother, but not his equal in intelligence and education. He has been mildly aware that her past had some hidden secrets but was unwilling to dredge up the past in case it upset the comfortable present. Cal is treating a troubled teenager Peter Blue, who claims to have a mystical connection to God and whose crazy actions have brought him into trouble with the law. Peter threatens to suicide if put in jail so Cal is more lenient in his treatment of him. As a consequence, a brutal man from Marie's past becomes involved with them all, bringing down tragedy and violence which will forever alter the course of their lives.



3. One of my favorite books written in the last decade is TRUE CRIME by Andrew Klaven. It was also liked by Clint Eastwood who made a film out of it. There was a strong sense of suspense, which grabbed the reader from the first page and never let up. Unfortunately, Mr. Klaven has been unable to recreate that sense of superb storytelling with his subsequent books and they proved to be not nearly as successful. He also left the genre by writing a ghost story. However, I am pleased to report that he is again up to his usual high standards.

   Cal Bradley, a psychiatrist is happily married in a small New England town. Into his life step two men who threaten to tear his life apart. One is Peter Blue, a young man who, after beating his girlfriend, ran to a local church and set it on fire while threatening a police officer with a gun. Cal sees a lot of potential good in Peter and decides to take him under his wing at a local psychiatric hospital instead of keeping him in prison where Peter threatens suicide. The second is a shadowy tough figure of a man who may have past ties to Cal's wife, Marie. He may be the key to the unraveling of their marriage.

   Andrew Klaven has written a fast paced suspense novel with just the right amount of surprises to keep the pages flying. Characters are very well sketched as is the locale. In returning to the crime fiction and suspense subgenre, Andrew Klaven has returned to the arena of his greatest success. I sincerely hope he decides to remain here.




4. I really enjoyed reading this book. It's one of those books that leave you hanging at the end of every chapter. I like how it was written in a unique way so that it kept you guessing. This book shows how one troubled teen can change many people's lives. Cal Bradly and Peter Blue are very real and interesting characters in this book. Cal is the psychologist, husband and father. Peter is the troubled and influential nineteen year old. And Marie, Cal's wife, is the woman with the mysterious past. This was a great book and I encourage others to read it.



5. This is my first Klavan novel, and it was engrossing. Its greatest strength is the unique and powerful love story, in my opinion. Klavan describes what I think true love is about, the almost miraculous nature of it, unexpected, unforced, irrestible, rendering its captives completely devoted to each other, and, thus, vulnerable. Not enough of that kind of love around, it seems, but nice to see that someone can portray it beautifully. The suspense was also good, but this one clearly revolves around love, from the outstanding and unforgettable first line forward.

5 comments about To Marry an English Lord or, How Anglomania Really Got Started.

1. Every time I read this book it becomes more and more interesting. Meticulously researched, with great little anecdotes and etiquette tips.
   This book is a lot of fun! I especially liked the many photographs of the designer gowns (most by Worth, if you please!) that are liberally scattered throughout.
   If you're ananglophile you'll want to get this one!



2. Those few of us who have wondered why in the world a comfortable, cosseted American girl would want to marry an Englishman and live in a cold climate in an even colder stone castle will find answers here, even if the answers aren't satisfactory to the modern ear.

   Think of it: wealthy American society girls, products of generations of men and women who gave lives and fortunes to escape a Royalist society, thought it a worthy investment of their lives, loves and wealth to buy an English title in the form of a husband. It's understandable that men who have no money and are saddled with huge estates and titles with no way to support themselves "in the manner to which they have become accustomed" would search out these women. It's another matter to understand the women, especially if they were bright and energetic (like the fabled Jenny Jerome).

   Of course the first women to get involved in this weird method of social climbing didn't realize what was involved. (Though why American society decided that an English title was important in the United States, especially if it could be bought with money, still escapes me.) The problems included loveless husbands who paid little attention to their wives and carried on affairs; cold and drafty castles into which Papa sank tons of money to no avail as far as comfort was concerned; families who refused to accept them in spite (or because) of the fact that they provided the money to keep the lifestyle intact; servants who often were sulky and rebellious ("but we've ALWAYS done it that way"); children they handed over to nannies. The first brides must have kept the hardships and loneliness from the succeeding generation, for the rage for English titles prevailed from the mid-19th century almost through the mid-20th century.

   TO MARRY AN ENGLISH LORD is a fascinating and complete look at these women and the lives they led. Illustrations showing the homes and households of the times and how they operated, fashions, maps, photographs of the women and their friends, families and husbands all combine to present the core of that particular section of society in that particular age.

   The book is meticulously researched and includes a bibliography, a register of American heiresses, a suggested walking tour of the women's London and a very handy index. It's built around the stories of these women and the men who wooed and won them. Who they were, what they did and what the consequences were -- all adds up to an intriguing and fascinating read.




3. Who says that history is boring and stuffy? This well-researched book is chock full of anecdotes, pictures, and facts to make the period and the subject come to life.

   This book discusses the phenomenon of the "dollar princesses": American hieresses who married into titles abroad, particularly England. Amongst them were Winston Churchill's mother; a woman who was the second-highest ranking woman in the British empire (after only the queen); and maybe the most famous of all: Consuelo Vanderbuilt, who begrudgingly became the Duchess of Marlborough in a marriage aranged by her social-climbing mother.

   Written informally, with lots of pictures, this might be a great book to buy a teenager who is just transitioning into "grown-up" non-fiction, but finds most of it dry and uninteresting. It is also a must-read for anyone who plans on traveling to country-houses in England, as it gives a more accurate view of what it was like to actually have to live in one of those monstrosities! Anyone who is interested in the history of class in America, or of the British Aristocracy, would also be interested.




4. As the other reviewers have noted, this is a great romp through a part of American history you don't learn about in school. I read it through once and then re-read it just to savor all the little bits and pieces the authors have so generously loaded it with. If you ever wondered about all those Vanderbilts and all those Whitneys, here is your chance (from an American point of view!)to find out just how and why these ladies ended up in the postions they did- all for the love of Edward VII. I wish there were more reader-friendly books like this that make history so entertaining.



5. I read this book the first time when I checked it out of the public library. I loved it so much that I had to have my own copy. It is a fascinating account of how the nouvo riche in the U.S. basically bought acceptance to high society for their daughters. You can just pick it up and read sections - it's not necessary to start at the beginning and work through. Not a summer goes by that I don't pick it up!

5 comments about Sufferings in Africa: The Astonishing Account of a New England Sea Captain Enslaved by North African Arabs.

1. We should all be grateful that his book was reissued. It is truly a remarkable account of the danger of seafaring merchants during the early 19th C. Written in the style and the variable spelling of that period, the book prompted me to search out a map of northwestern Africa so I could follow the plight of Riley and his crew. Given that this narration was one of the few books owned by the young Abe Lincoln, one can already see the seeds of the abolition movement after the slavery tables were turned (English speaking whites being enslaved by Africans). One detail not in the book is that a cousin, Justus Riley, from Weathersfield, Connecticut, owned the brig Commerce along with his partners, the Savages of Hartford. Ship insurance would have paid the owners for the loss of the ship, but not the master of the ship, in this case James Riley. It is fortunate James wrote his account as it permitted him to move to Ohio during the US western expansion. Anyone who loves the O'Brien books will love this book -- I keep hoping it will be made into a screenplay.



2. After the war of 1812, Captain James Riley was employed as master and supercargo of the brig Commerce from Hartford, Connecticut. He shipped a crew of George Williams, chief mate, Aaron Savage, second mate, William Porter, Archibald Robbins, Thomas Burns and several others. He sailed for New Orleans in May 1815, passed the Bahamas and Florida Keys, (not without incident: the ship ran aground, before Riley freed her) and, in early August, reached Gibraltar. While headed for Cape de Verds, Riley ran the Commerce off course, and was shipwrecked in breakers off the Sahara.
   
   One man was slaughtered on the beach.
   
   Conditions for the rest were pure hell. Captain Riley and those remaining were forced to sell themselves into slavery in order to survive. The party was then divided. Some men were never seen again, and were presumed to have spent the duration of their days in privation and servitude.
   
   Riley and four others were saved in November 1815; in late September, Riley had convinced an Arab merchant to buy himself and those companions, transport them across the desert to Mogadore, and there to ransom them to the British embassy. He tells in great detail the sufferings the men endured during their slavery and travel through the desert. Nineteen months afterwards, Archibald Robbins was ransomed as well. Subsequently, he wrote at length on his own experiences in slavery. During the 19th century, a volume including both this book and Robbins' tale became a bestseller. Today, a copy of Robbins' account is hard to come by.
   
   The conditions endured by the infidel slaves is almost unbelievable. This book, reprinted dozens of times in its day, sold millions of copies and influenced abolitionists of Riley's time. The book was of the works that the young Abraham Lincoln read by firelight in Illinois, and strongly influenced his thinking about slavery, as did a visit to the slave market in New Orleans.
   
   Mogadore was once a flourishing city, Riley observed, but when he became a freed man there, he observed that "superstition, fanaticism, and tyranny bear sway...[and] have swept away, with their pernicious breath, the whole wealth of its once industrious and highly favored inhabitants;--have driven the foreigner from their shores, and it seems as if the curse of Heaven had fallen on the whole land...."
   
   --Alyssa A. Lappen



3. Considering that this book was written in the early 1800's and is a true story, I am totally impressed. The whole concept of slavery and how it applied to white and black people in the early 19th century in Africa before it even became an issue! Extraordinary accounting of true life at it's most extreme.



4. The author of the book, Captain James Riley, bravely wrote and acknowledged his role in his ship's disaster of wrecking off the North African coast back in 1815. This is an incredible tale of survival under the most brutal and pain-racking conditions one can imagine. The American brig, Commerce, hit a storm off the North African coast and was wrecked. The crew manages to reach the beach in their boats and collapse with exhaustion. However, the wreck and chance of plunder attracts an Arab nomad band to the scene. It is at this point that the captain and crew get a taste of the welcome they that will be met with from natives who are as merciless and unforgiving as the Sahara desert they live in.
   
   Although they manage to avoid capture and probable execution on their first encounter with the Arab nomads, the second encounter finds them starved, hopeless, and without water for several days running. So, they are enslaved and stripped naked by their captors. Their skin sizzles and blisters horribly under the ferocious Saharan sun while they walk barefooted and bloody over the sharp, rocky desert floor for many days - each day weaker with the spark of life slowly ebbing from their eyes. Then their band encounters their personal savior, Abdallah, who is an Arab merchant crossing the Sahara along with his brother. He buys the captain and most of the crew at Riley's repeated emotional entreaties, planning to sell them back to the English consul, Mr. Willshire, in far away Mogadore (for a profit, of course).
   
   Yet despite their new master and his profit motive, their continued survival is highly tentative as starvation, thirst, fatigue, continual danger of brigands, and even Abdallah's own brother conspire to steal these forsaken, hapless captives. And even though Riley must have suffered immeasurably he still managed to sear his inconceivable experiences into his memory and learned to speak some Arabic as well. Their thirst was often so remorseless that they routinely drank camel urine and subsisted on the most meager food imaginable.
   
   This is a remarkable true story and one which vividly portrays the unspeakable sufferings by the unprepared and unwary stranded in the deserts of North Africa. Read the book, skip the visit!



5. A must read. This is a wonderful read of the account of the U.S. Merchant Mariners on the Brig Commerce by her Capt.
   
   Secondly, the Brig Commerce's seaman Archibald Robbins who got separated from Capt. Riley wrote his own account as well. It can be found on g**gle books for free. Hopefully this link will work:
   
   http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=MQkPAAAAYAAJ&dq=Archibald+Robbins&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=6jkFuOattw&sig=8oAQIZb2R0qWl9ENBY3AL5g7ImE&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPR1,M1

No comments about Rails-to-Trails Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshir (Rails-to-Trails Series).

No comments about Boston's Fire Trail: A Walk Through the City's Fire and Firefighting History.

5 comments about Bridget Jones's Diary.

1. Many people have tried to emulate the wit and insightfullness of this seminal work, but nobody does it as well as Helen Fielding. This book is the origin of much of today's received wisdom on the subject of single women living in London (and probably most other cities in the Western World) - singletons, smug marrieds etc. It is laugh-out loud funny and Fielding has managed to pay homage to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice in her plot in a way which flatters both books. A must-read.Love Actually (Widescreen Edition)



2. The book is waaay better than the movie. You could see the entire thing being played out. The movie tried to capture the humor but there are elements that Fielding writes about that just can't be portrayed on screen. Excellent book. It gets 4 out or 5 supermommie stars!



3. This was a GREAT book. It was maybe the most fun book I have read. If you want a good laugh, then read this book. I actually laughed out loud and thought I was going to wake the house up! It was so much better than I thought it would be. I can't say enough about it!



4. I'm a huge fan of the movie. When I finally decided to read the book, boy was I sorry I waited so long!! I love this book, it is so clever, and totally satisfying for those of us who love all the unnecessary cheesiness and romance that a love story can provide. It starts out slow, but once you get going, you wont' want to go to sleep!!



5. The book was a little more used than I anticipated, but I still enjoyed reading it again.

4 comments about The Encyclopedia of New England.

1. "Finally, a book that defines New England. And it wasn't easy. Just released, this massive volume weighs as much as our cat. It includes 1.5 million words in 22 thematic sections, written and edited by hundreds of experts. "The Encyclopedia of New England" includes 1,300 entries on important people, places, events, ideas and artifacts, plus 500 illustrations and maps on a total of almost 1,600 pages.
   Edited by Burt Feintuch and David H. Watters (both from UNH), this reference of New England culture includes an introduction by poet Donald Hall. New England, as you will soon see, is much more than white steeples, stone walls and maple syrup." (from Seacoast NH website)



2. This is a great reference but, unlike many others, it is not simply a list of things with discussion. It is written as a carefully woven story of New England. It is fascinating and wonderful to read.



3. I am from New England and was looking forward to receiving this book. It reads like a textbook and is incredibly boring. Don't waste your money!



4. Though organized a bit unconventionally "New England. the Culture and History of an American Region" is a wonderful addition to the growing number of State and regional encyclopedias being published in the United States.
   
   An independent America owes much to New England for the region's political and military leaders, indeed much of its population, played a seminal role in this country's fight for independence. Massachusetts alone provided more fighting men to the Continental Army and more private fighting ships than any other colony. And the region's culture is at the core of America's.
   
   Entries in this encyclopedia are organized into twenty-two major categories, beginning with "Agriculture" and ending with "Tourism". They illuminate not only the history, but everyday life in modern New England. Most entries end with suggestions for further reading.
   
   The result is a wonderfully compiled and written single-volume that addresses every imaginable aspect of life in new England.
   
   Best of all, the volume is available from Amazon for about half the price being charged at most retail book stores.
   
   If you love New England, you will love this encyclopedia!

1 comments about The Hub: Boston Past and Present.

1. Harvard University offered an adult evening course on the history of Boston. The course ran weekly for 2 hours during an entire academic year and it was expensive. This would seem to have parochial interest only; it didn't. When Thomas O'Connor held forth, the large lecture hall was filled.
   Doctor O'Connor is an inspired lecturer. The facts flowed orderly, abundantly and quite effortlessly into my spiral bounds. This was a refreshing experience that I have not so often encountered [and I have had lots of experience].
   My interest in Boston began as a volunteer guide for Boston By Foot. It soon became clear that Boston has stories, legends, myths and scandals at every curb stone. The city is a walkable historical delight for those in the know.
   The colonial and maritime importance of Boston can not be overemphasized. Its growth and declines informed and mirrored our national history.
   My class notes from Harvard take up two invaluable notebooks. I refer to them often for my tours and lectures.
   THIS BOOK IS THOSE NOTES!