This book is easy to read and it is fun to review all the old photos of buildings (some of which no longer exist). Most of the buildings are familiar to those of us who live in Sandusky or visit regularly. After reading this book, you will find out the little known facts of the buildings that are so familiar. I would recommend this book to any age. It is a great way to learn how interesting Sandusky, Ohio is. I learned after reading this book that it has one of the largest collction of limestone buildings in Ohio, crayons were invented here, and it was part of the "underground railroad", which aided slaves in their quest for freedom.

Todd Ray is relentless in his pursuit to detail the Bay Area's finest inline skating sites. Not only is this book a fine skating guide, Ray also offers insight into alternative inline skating adventures such as downhill inline skating. Many insightful tips are offered. So, if you're looking for a great inline adventure, this is a great one!

Written by Dawn Jeffers and beautifully illustrated by Claude Schneider, Vegetable Dreams is a bilingual picture storybook, with text in both English and Spanish, for young readers. The warm, full-color, impressionistic art brings to life a gentle story about a young woman who wants to create a wonderful garden for everyone to enjoy. A timeless tale about the virtues of sharing and friendship, Vegetable Dreams is a first-class picturebook and especially for youngsters learning English and Spanish as they grow up!

This survey of Victorian beauties of California's San Francisco Bay Area provides a blend of regional history and architectural insights, surveying the changing Victorian house styles of the region and featuring a wealth of fine color examples. From architectural roots to hybrid styles, Book Of The Courtesans is packed with detail.

This is based on the Lalitavistara Sutra, which is a traditional telliing of the Buddha Shakyamuni's lifestory written around 2,000 years ago. It starts with his two previous lifetimes, and ends at the time he delivers his first teachings after attaining enlightenment.

The translation is beautifully done, with some very lyrical passages. Those of you who have read other original Buddhist sutras and scriptures may be surprised to find how 'flowery' this is, but it's a delightful change of pace from some of the more repetitive traditional scriptures.

The book also has some gorgeous full-page full-color images (with tissue paper covers to protect them) between some sections that make it worth the unusually high price.

One caveat: if you don't know anything about Buddhism, you might find the more accessible style of Thich Nhat Hahn's "Old Path White Clouds" a little more comprehensible, but if you already have a basic idea of what Buddhism's all about, then the Lalitavistara would be a great addition to your library.

Water's Way is a stunningly photographed, and exquisitely written glimpse of life in the Chesapeake region. The book celebrates beauty, both in the natural and human worlds. Author Tom Horton's essays are insightful, humorous, and well-crafted. His words flow like the many creeks and rivers that he describes on the Delmarva peninsula. Dave Harp's photography defines the people, animals, and landscape in such concert with Horton's words that the book should be considered the National Geographic of the Eastern Shore. This a worthy addition to anyone's coffee table.

The text and photography show an accurate portrait of the men who fish the Chesapeake Bay. Their stories are moving, and realistic.

A WHALE ON HER OWN is a charming story of a young beluga whale who decided to make Chedabucto Bay her home for a while. Jim Johnson, an old time sea traveller and scuba diver got to be friends with Wilma and explained alot about beluga whales and their habits while describing their adventures together. Although told in a story format, the book is quite informative with definitions of terms at the end along with book listings and websites to pursue if this book has piqued your interest. Brian Skerry has done an absolutely striking job with the photography. It really makes this more than a good story and more than a way for young people to learn about beluga whales. It makes this book an exceptional treasure for library, classroom or personal collection.

Katy and her younger, Clover go to New England boarding school by "What Katy Did at School." They get many great friends. I become the feeling from which I became Katy's classmate.
In "What Katy Did Next", Katy's European tour is written interestingly. However, I do not so like the parent and child who are the companion of Katy. Moreover, the classmate of nostalgic Katy also appears. And we are excited by the whereabouts of the romance of Katy.

Many readers will be charmed by how these childhood memories of the WWII years will entice them to see through the eyes of the girl who first lived them. While this is a novel, it is also nearly a memoir. On their own merit, the stories and events are honestly written, and full of life. Many authors "milk" such sweet childhood moments, and make them just too "precious" for an adult to read -- there's no antidote for copious amounts of sugar. These, though, are honestly written, and have a continuing emotional impact on this reader, even luring her to re-live her own memories from similar times and small towns. I wondered on almost every page, "Is it just me, or is there a power, here, calling and charming us to share in some of Charlotte Woodham's life?" The "power," I think, originates from how genuinely she has put herself -- and the other characters -- on the page, and in our company. Some authors write beautifully, but are distant strangers. Charlotte Woodham writes beautifully, the way you wish your sisters and old friends could write.
You'll enjoy reading this work!