The epitome of the kind of book I look for in my travels, "White Rock Ways" has everything one can imagine occurring as a part of life in a small town-or a small island-in Maine.

Set in the 1960s, though I had a hard time coming up with anything but images of folk from a decade long before, such was the ambiance of the characters, the stories of life in the community of White Rock unfold.

Through a narrative rich in Maine dialect and phraseology, we discover the ways of the locals and learn to care for them as we become involved in the comings and goings of their daily lives.

There is a tendency to sum each other up in one-word adjectives; for instance, Clara and Levi Weymouth, introduced early in the story and most consistently present throughout, are known as the "near Weymouths", which sometimes bothers Levi, who thinks it "fine to be 'near', but not so fine to be 'tight as the bark to a tree'."

When a neighbor's closed summer home has some suspicious activity taking place around it, Levi discovers a couple of intruding, though apparently harmless, neighborhood boys. He brings them back to his own house to report them to the authorities and makes them sit on the "funeral couch", made up of leftover coffin lining material Clara purchased from the local funeral director; an example of her reputation of being near, not to mention giving the boys the heebie jeebies as added, though unintended, punishment.

One woman, Meg, "from away" laments the fact that the villagers don't seem to read. It is not long before she comes to realize that "Rockahs ahn't readahs", as her husband puts it, but they are eager listeners. Meg, having plenty of opportunity to narrate her stories to islanders, finds parallels between village life and the lives of characters from some of her favorite books by authors such as Shakespeare and Sherwood Anderson. She learns that while White Rock dwellers may not read much literature, they "certainly lived it."

There is suspicion of child molestation by a teacher. Intrigue comes to town in the form of a tragic "fancy woman." Long memories of small town folk is proven when a sheriff's deputy is asked about a knee injury from a childhood incident as though it was just weeks ago he was injured. Secrets are revealed of the old doctor who would find interesting areas of women's bodies requiring examination-no matter of what ailment she complained upon arrival in his office. Mystery comes in the form of a Spanish man who shows up in the local cemetery. Lessons in preparing brown bread and salting cod also bring us directly into their realm.

One of my favorite traits of Mainers is the very fine thread used to tie people together who are "almost" related. It so happens that a distant relation of those from whom the author of this book purchased her own home some years ago owns the cottage in which I presently live. Makes me wonder if the author will allow me to claim her as a relation because of this thread, thereby allowing me a bit of leeway given the fact that I am "from away."

In addition, of course, there are the stories surrounding the white rock, which gives the island its name. You will have to read the book to learn of these.

I usually start reading these volumes in the "Our Presidents" series thinking I pretty much know all the important things about the particular president in question. William Henry Harrison: son of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, made his reputation as a general at the battle of Tippecanoe, the first Whig elected President, died a month into his term from pneumonia contracted on a rainy inauguration day, and his grandson Benjamin Harrison was also elected President. So basically I thought of William Henry Harrison as one of those generals who kept getting elected President in the 19th century with decidedly mixed results. Of course, Ann Graham Gaines quickly proves me wrong in this informative juvenile biography.

The minor point would be that Harrison was not made a general until sometime after the battle of Tippecanoe that gave him his famous nickname and one of the great political slogans in American History. However, the major point would be Harrison had what is arguably the most impressive political resume of anyone ever to win the White House (previously I would have said that honor went to George Herbert Walker Bush). Harrison started out as a soldier but resigned from the army to become secretary of the Northwest Territory before going on to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, appointed governor of the Indiana Territory by John Adams, reelected to the U.S. House, then elected to the Ohio State Senate and then the U.S. Senate from Ohio, and appointed minister to Columbia by John Quincy Adams. His political career apparently ended by Andrew Jackson's election, Harrison actively campaigns for the presidency as early as 1835 before joining the Whig Party and being elected in 1840. In the middle of this political career he had time to be a general during the War of 1812, so while he was a soldier, he was also a formidable politicians.

Ironically, William Henry Harrison served the shortest term of any President. Gaines can only sketch out what Harrison might have done while in office, but such speculation surely pales in comparison to his overall political career. It is interesting that the Harrison family is not mentioned in the same breath with other American political families of note, to wit, the Adams, Roosevelt, Kennedy and Bush families. The book is illustrated with historic paintings, prints, and such from this time period, although I was disappointed that the daguerreotype of Harrison, the first taken of a sitting President (we have one of John Quincy Adams as well), was not included. The margins of the volume are filled with Interesting Facts, such as Harrison being the last President born before the American Revolution as well as being the oldest President ever to be inaugurated up to that time at 68 years of age. Detailed sidebars provide more information about Tecumseh, Presidential Campaigns, and Death in the Highest Office.

There has been some mention of Benjamin Harrison in the press, since he was the last President to lose the popular vote but win in the Electoral College, so it is rather ironic that there are such strong parallels between the other Harrison and the other Bush. Still, the greater irony is that one of the most forgotten Presidents did so much that has been forgotten. William Henry Harrison might be a historical footnote, but his political and military resume makes it a rather lengthy footnote.

This childhood favorite is as fresh and charming as when it was first published. The animal protagonists--Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad--remind us of folks we know, which endears them to us
with their all-too-human dreams and foibles. For both Men and Creatures struggle to survive in the forest and streams of life. Exhausted from his strenuous spring cleaning, Mole sets out into the world Aboveground, where he discovers the joys and challenges of Riverbank Life with his new friend and host, the water rat. But beware the perils lurking in the adjacent Wild Wood!

Kenneth Grahame weaves a gentle tale with willow strands of friendship, dedication to ideals and sacrifice. Come ride the roads with Toady, and skull down the river with Ratty; savor the sentimental whisperings of Home with Mole. Then join the ranks of Badger's Avengers! This beloved classic combines humor and pathos with lively adventure in an animal realm which parallels human endeavor. This book is a true gem, to be rediscovered by successive generations and treasured by children of all ages!

Richly illustrated with period photographs, this memoir is a lovely addition to autobiographical books about life in the 1800s. Written by William Graham, a traveling Methodist preacher who eventually settled in Indiana, the book is filled with the kind of details that make history come alive. Graham traveled on Horseback and sometimes by buggy and on one occasion he writes " I was run into by a drunken farmer in a wagon, had my buggy broken up and a good horse ruined, and was in danger of being killed." Anecdotes like these help to flesh out the lines of life in a time far different from ours. I truly enjoyed this one!

This is a really nice book on the Slav. I find myself using it more than Sadler's book. It has 76 well-annotated games, a great introductory chapter on ideas of the Slav, and a nice index of variations at the end. The whole thing is just very well-done. The authors are "two Siberian masters" who really know their stuff, and are quite intense about it.

although the elements have become cliche, they were not when this book was written. The writing is descriptive and spare, the plot has enough twists and anxiety to keep you gasping. Worth seeking out and keeping!

Witchstone= immortal youth and beauty for Sibele, revenge and destruction for wizard Fenrulf, total power for King Rothric. They struggle for stone, ending up in world of Damned.

In A Woman's No Nonsense Guide To Fly Fishing Favorite Waters, forty-five of the country's top female fly fishing authorities provide the reader with clear, concise advice on fly fishing all kinds of waters. There is timely information on flies and hatches, how to reach some of America's finest fishing waters, what equipment to take, the best places to stay, ideal times to fish, and where to go to learn more about fly fishing. This wealth of practical, insightful, useful, authoritative information is provided from a woman's perspective and is "must" reading for women seeking to learn and experience the unique joys, challenges, and satisfactions of fly fishing.

This review for WHNP exam is excellent. The most helpful portion of this text was the extensive rational given for each question. Because the authors were so generous in their explanations of each correct and incorrect answer, I rarely had to go outside of this book to obtain further information. I found the information to be up-to-date, accurate, and realistic; not just theoretical, but information that nurse practitioners need to know on a frequent basis. If you use only one book for review, this would be my choice!

I am the author of the Woodcarver's Problem Solver. This unique book answers nearly four hundred questions that are most often asked by both my professional and hobby students. The questions cover many technical issues about workshop tools and equipment and problems about carving technique.

Each item is alphabetically listed, and hundreds are color illustrated with captions. Where they are related, entries are cross referenced with one another making this illustrated workshop reference very easy to use. Together with my other book "Decorative Woodcarving - the Complete Course", this book creates a substantial self learning workshop package.

I really enjoyed this book. This author is simply brilliant and very intelligent.