I first remember seeing one of Richard Brown's spectacular photographs on he cover of Country Journal, a magazine devoted to celebrating rural life styles that ran a span of several years in the early to late 1980s. Brown's stunning photographic style showcased the day-to-day confluence of ordinary Vermonters living their lives in the rural splendor of the Northeast Kingdom in the far reaches of the lovely "People's Republic Of Vermont". Often Country Journal would feature a number of his photos inside each issue, so one subscribing the magazine began to look for them both on the cover and inside, as well. Indeed, his work was what made me search for the latest issue at the beginning of each month.

Here he stuns us with the majesty of Vermont as it transpires through its incredibly beautiful cycle of seasons in a way that only a photographer of such obvious abilities could. Herein he shares many of his favorites, and several of these I have seen before in other venues. The problem with a book filled with such gorgeously shot, developed and produced rural photographs is that one is tempted to carefully extract them for framing on the wall. They are really that terrific! Photographs range from shots of landscapes to silhouettes of a farmhouse steaming against the winter cold, from children walking down a dirt-covered tree lined country road exploding into autumn's extravagance to an elderly gentleman leaning against a barn with his favorite cat. One sits transfixed by the sheer variety of scenes and colors so native to the rural landscapes and personal portraits. This is a wonderful travelogue into the heart of New England.

Brown shows us all of the changes that transpire in the North country, a place where the changes are so frequent and so momentous that they comprise six seasons, adding both the dreaded mud season of early springtime on the one hand, and the so-called 'off-season' after the autumn glory has been swept away, leaving cold bare trees and a hauntingly spare and vacant atmosphere to settle over the region on the other. Listen a few times to folksinger Tom Rush's rendition of "Urge For Going" a few times on the CD player and you will get the idea. Brown's imaginative hand is lovingly apparent in this book, displaying both the soulful visages of local inhabitants and the unique flavor of the haunting ever-changing scenery so typically Vermont. This is a distinctive and memorable recreation of what we love so much about being native new Englanders! Enjoy!

Reviewing a book such as this again supports the truth of that old bromide, "a picture is worth a thousand words." At least no words of mine can do full justice to Brown's talent as a photographer. He settled in Whitingham in 1968 and began to teach in a small rural school. During the years since then, he has taken thousands of photographs of Vermont in search of what is, to his own eye, that state's unique character. As he explains in the Introduction, over time he shifted his attention from Vermont's natural beauty to what he calls "the cultivated landscape." A preponderance of the photographs in this volume (many of which not previously published) were taken in the "Northeast Kingdom." He organizes his work according to the seasons which include the "Off-Season" from late-October until Thanksgiving. For at least a few of those who read this review, my comments about Brown may be of some interest but, I realize, merely suggest a context for the creation of works of art which I lack the talent to describe. If you cannot visit Vermont in person, do so by seeing it through Brown's eyes. If you cherish his book as much as I do, you will also want to have a copy of The Beauty of Vermont, edited by Tom Slayton. As both books clearly indicate, the soul of Vermont is its beauty...and beauty its soul.

I was born and raised in Vermont, have lived out of the state for years, visiting annually. This book really did bring me home to the Soul of Vermont. The photographs are wonderful. They just take you in. If you want to spend some time in Vermont and can't make the trip, this is THE book for you.

Larry's book is very detailed--complete. I always wondered what that lonsome bridge pier was on the south side of US 90, the Massachusetts Turnpike, on the eest side of the valley east of Palmer, MA. Now I know, and I am chomping at the bit to go look at the construction that was done in Southbridge, and to find pieces of the roadbed around Webster and in Woonsocket.

Also, Larry will be speaking at the October 30, 2002 meeting of the
Norfolk County Railroad Club
in Norwood at the
Morrill Library
Oct. 30, 2002 at 7:00 PM.
Note the EARLY time, 7:00, because the library closes
at 9:00.

While I normally am not the biggest fan of "railroadianna," this book was reccommended to me by a friend and I ended up loving it! It was much more than a typical local history book and in fact delved into human relationships and emotions usually remiss in historical nonfiction. Larry Lowenthal perfectly captures the anguish of watching an enterprise develop with all hopes of wealth and success only to witness it's eventual demise as it's proprietor sinks on the ill-fated Titanic. His lyrical writing style as he describes the sinking of the Titanic is pure poetry. I have since read his subsequent book, a biography of Marinus Willet, a revolutionary war general, and was even more impressed. The final page of that book brought tears to my eyes. Bravo to Mr. Lowenthal for humanising history.

While I normally am not the biggest fan of "railroadianna," this book was reccommended to me by a friend and I ended up loving it! It was much more than a typical local history book and in fact delved into human relationships and emotions usually remiss in historical nonfiction. Larry Lowenthal perfectly captures the anguish of watching an enterprise develop with all hopes of wealth and success only to witness it's eventual demise as it's proprietor sinks on the ill-fated Titanic. His lyrical writing style as he describes the sinking of the Titanic is pure poetry. I have since read his subsequent book, a biography of Marinus Willet, a revolutionary war general, and was even more impressed. The final page of that book brought tears to my eyes. Bravo to Mr. Lowenthal for humanising history.

I raced through this book, caught up in the momentum of the evocation of a large 50s family...(I too come from a New England family of 6 children, one prematurely dead after a nervous breakdown), and I am only a couple of years younger than the author.)

The book seems to highlight little "spots of time" beautifully. (I wondered if the author had seen that chillingly scary yet rapturously dazzlingly wonderful episode of "Queen for a Day" when a woman wanted a wooden leg, for example).

Look at all the parentheses in this review! That shows, I believe, how taken in a very personal way I was with this book. I wanted more. More details about how the children REALLY thought about their mother. Are any in therapy? More more more about the two youngest daughters....but is that because I have more difficulties understanding my own two youngest siblings?

I usually read novels and poetry and very little non-fiction, so I am not uncomfortable with things omitted although I so often crave more. Oddly (and it was perhaps my mood) I wanted to hear less about Raymond. Yet had he been a "fictional construct" he would have fascinated me more.

I would recommend this book highly to anyone who is in the process of trying to come to terms with an odd childhood, or to anyone who is curious about all of those huge families who grew up in the 1950s. Young adults of today might learn something about the life of their parents from this book: the enforced sharing, the lack of certain kinds of entitlement that we had growing up in the 1950s when the self-esteem movement had not yet commenced.

Blais has some startlingly original and memorable metaphors and figures of speech which made her book aesthetically pleasurable as well.

I would love to read a sequal in which she fills in more details on what it's like to have four sisters who almost feel like quadruplets. She gives us the "facts" on that, but I would love to hear more about the emotional give and take and take and give.

Not a word is wasted in this quietly powerful memoir. I found myself underlining passages I wanted to save and savor. This is a book about the ties that bind us to family -- a refreshing look at normal small town life in the 60's -- about nuns -- mental illness -- powdered milk -- hope and despair. By the time you finish reading, you know this family and are glad you met them. I chanced upon this book quite by accident -- may other readers be so lucky.

Madeline Blais,who amazed us with "In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle," a book which is on nearly all high school summer reading lists, does it again with "Uphill Walkers." She turns her reporter's eye inward to examine her family and its vicissitudes. The family's uphill struggle following the death of her father is at the core of this book. Blais does not gloss over the rough spots. Her brother's emotional problems, her mother's struggles to keep the family going following the death of her husband, the constraints of growing up in a small, rural 1950's town are all laid bare. But there is a warmth and charm to the telling of the tale. Blais and her three sisters and two brothers move forward propelled by their ability to see the joy in the details of quotidian life and their ability to lean on each other when the going gets tough (as it does when Raymond, the eldest child, falls prey to his inner deamons). This book also captures the spirit of the family matriarch. Proud to the point of denying anything is wrong with Raymond (when Raymond is discharged from the Navy due to aural hallucinations she tells the other children to tell outsiders Ray got a medical discharge because there was something wrong with his hearing!) yet fiesty enough to make do and raise her brood in an era when "single parents" were unheard of, Blais's mother Maureen comes across as the heroine of this work. Blais again demonstates her considerable writing skills. There are some terrific lines in this book, such as her description of her mother's ability to to take a grain of indignity and massage it into a "pearl of pique." Since a family memoir never truly ends, Blais has included a "where are they now" chapter and an epilogue which describes each sibling's take on how the author has told the story -- what she got right, what she is remembering through her personal filter that differs from their own. These chapters are like the "Bonus Tracks" so popular on movie DVDs; a little extra that helps put the whole into perspective. At a time when memoirs, especially Irish-American memoirs, seem to be flooding the market, "Uphill Walkers" is worth your time and money.

About six months prior to my husband's and my trip to Vermont, I purchased Tree & Jennison's book and poured over its contents, intrigued by all that the New England state could offer these Texans. Because the authors had taken the time to visit the various locations noted in the book, I had no worries about the trip. Once in Vermont, I used the book as a bible, knowing what to expect in each village. I met many of the people that they had mentioned, and each had glowing remarks about them. Without this book, my vacation would not have been as organized or enjoyable, and we even went during Mud Season! I recommend this book wholeheartedly because the information is well researched.

This book captures, for me, something close to the heart of Vermont--it's clean, simple, direct, truthful, and deeply entertaining. I have done a lot of travelling in the state over the last 18 months, and found the Explorer's Guide reflects with accuracy and cultural compassion the experience of living and wandering here. Some people will buy it for the inn and the restaurant listings, but its real strength is in its quiet delineation of the regions and their differences. If I were allowed another star, I would use it.

We did not know much about Vermont but the book got us on our way quickly. The different sections are clear and get straight to the point.Wide variety of things to do, places to stay, eat and shop. A very satisfying purchase.

This is a great booklet for seeing parts of Boston that are famous as well as more quiet areas. The maps help lots and the size is convenient to stow away as you do the walks. The photos spruce up the book.
It is endorsed by the ava which has a web site to list more walks

[...]

AJ

Boston is a great city, and Walking Boston was a great book to accompany my fiancé and I on our trip. We completed several of the suggested walks, and found some quant cafes and historic buildings. Good maps too.

Boston is a great city, and Walking Boston was a great book to accompany my fiancé and I on our trip. We completed several of the suggested walks, and found some quant cafes and historic buildings. Good maps too.

I bought this book after reading a review of it. The recipes are simple and easy to follow. They do not use any ingredients that you cannot get at a regular supermarket. No recipe requires the cook to stand over the stove stirring or watching it cook. I highlighted all the recipes I want to try and easily have a month's worth of dinners. I'm so glad there's finally a cookbook for cooks who don't have time to cook!

I am a cook who needs a recipe. No experience at my mother's knee. (She worked.) At long last here is a cookbook of recipes that are not too complicated but that have a certain flair. They are, I would say, uncommon but uncomplicated. The onion tart, for instance, consists of onions and thyme, with a dollop of sour cream in its crust. Simple, yes; devoured by my guests, yes. I suggest one should read it through first, for the introduction and the chapter headings are very informative and present the authors' wonderful philospohy that the home cook should not try to duplicate restaurant presentations. This is a cookbook that informs, encourages, promises -- and delivers. Trust me, you will enjoy this cookbook. You can, with this collection of recipes, relax and enjoy cooking for family and for discerning guests. Julia, Silver Palate, and Joy will remain on my shelves, but "The Way We Cook" will remain on my counter!

"The Way We Cook" contains a great collection of really authentic, home-cooked and "American" recipes. I keep it on my counter and refer to it whenever I have people over or when I'm in a rush and need to make my family supper or lunch quickly!
The photos are quite beautiful and help instruct along with the charming, personal and clearly-written recipes.
Thanks Sheryl Julian and Julie Riven for such a delightful new book!

This is a book I found hard to put down. It describes one summer of a boy growing up on a Vermont farm in the thirties, when farmers still used horses, housewives canned all their food, and boys and girls walked to school. Lewis Hill tells of his boyhood with wry humor and vivid detail, and the reader is right there with him building shocks of hay with a pitchfork, chasing after the family's cats to keep them away from the mower, and wondering with almost unbearable excitement how to spend his thirty cents at the Barton Fair. This book is a wonderful companion to Mr. Hill's previous reminiscence of life on a Vermont farm: Fetched Up Yankee.

Many books about the past in rural areas fall into the trap of painting the past as a perfect time when all was right and good in the world. Hill spares us that disservice by showing us the real Vermont he grew up in. Along with the fun and adventure of youth are the day to day worries and hard work that helped to make life what it was.

The people are portrayed so well that you might well expect to met them if you were to go to his home town. Hill is also a master of building the story and wrapping the reader into it. He delivers the local dialect accurately and amazingly enough even the cadence of rural Vermont.

Like his FETCHED UP YANKEE this book isn't only entertaining it is a window into the past. Like Hill, I was raised in rural Vermont. Much of what he tells about had begun to go by the way when I was a child. Almost all of it has gone now. Sadly, in Vermont like the rest of the country, local culture has faded as the culture of the mass media grows. Read this book and have a view into another time in an America that is fast disappearing.

Lewis Hill grew up in the northern farm country of Vermont during the 1930s. The town of Greensboro, Vermont was then, as it is now, a mecca for vacationers from the cities who have own summer homes there and a fascinating mix of local Yankees, French Canadians and Scots who tilled the hard soil for a precarious living. Hill, a highly respected local historian, recounts in fascinating detail life in this hybrid New England community in the years that made up the heart of the depression before another World War changed life in Greensboro and America forever. Hill allows the reader to relive those days. YANKEE SUMMER is written in almost a lyrical manner that is great fun to read and hard to put down. This work is a "must" for any student of American history.

CDaniel Metraux, Mary Baldwin College, Staunton, VA 24401

I bought this travel guide out of curiosity when I went back home to visit my parents. I grew up in N.H., went to school at UCONN, and spent a lot of time in Massachusetts - so I am familiar with the area.

Sometimes, when you live in a place, however, you take your home for granted and don't see the sights in your back yard. Traveling 1500 miles back home, however, I felt like I needed to get my moneys worth (the sure sign of a native east coaster). This book led me to some incredible old towns and restaurants and shops that I had missed while living there.

I highly recommend the book. It was great to have it on my laptop because after work, I was able plan the remainder of my day in a snap.

I've been toting Elizabeth L. Dugger's new Adventure Guide to Massachusetts & Western Connecticut around for about a month now, ever since I received it. I had all the best intentions of being the first reviewer to publish my commentary on the travel guide, but with one project after another eating up my hours, I'm not sure that I can claim that honor. I have, however, really bulked up my biceps by lugging the Adventure Guide around!

In a word, the book is "massive," and before I ever lifted the cover, I was perplexed as to how Dugger could possibly have found enough bungee jumping-, cliff diving-, and vine swinging-type adventures in the stately and somewhat subdued states of Massachusetts and Connecticut to fill 496 pages! When I opened to page 113 to find a section on "Antique Shopping on Cape Cod," I was surprised and delighted to realize that the range of adventures Dugger suggests includes those that pose great danger only to my credit card balance.

In the book's introduction, Dugger explains that adventure travel "doesn't have to mean hanging from a cliff by your fingernails. " Her enormous catalog of exciting escapes includes family-friendly ideas, outdoor fun for people of all ages and abilities, out-of-the-ordinary sightseeing suggestions, and, of course, the full complement of hiking, biking, fishing, boating, and other recreational opportunities in central New England. "Adventure travel makes you feel alive, wakes you up to yourself as well as to your surroundings," Dugger explains. "Just being in open lands or along the coast, most of the time, can give you that get-away feeling. ...Adventure travel gets the blood flowing, the heart pumping."

Also the author of the Adventure Guide to New Hampshire and the Adventure Guide to Vermont, Dugger quickly debunks the notion that Massachusetts is a tamer, less challenging playground than its mountainous northern neighbors. After a brief introductory section that includes a short history of Massachusetts, a map of and information on getting to the region, road rules, and safety information on such important topics as "avoiding bears," the book is broken up into six regional chapters: the Seacoast Region, Boston and Nearby Adventures, Central Massachusetts, the Pioneer Valley, the Berkshires, and the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut. Within each geographic section, adventures are organized in category groupings: On Foot, On Horseback, On Wheels, On Water, On Snow & Ice, and In the Air. Each chapter has information on Eco-Travel and where to Stay & Eat, as well.

While the emphasis of this guide is decidedly on the outdoors and on planning a Massachusetts vacation that takes you to the lesser known attractions that the state offers, it is actually one of the most comprehensive and delightful guides to the region available. While many travel guides contain the obligatory paragraph on each historic attraction and sightseeing venue, the Adventure Guide to Massachusetts & Western Connecticut artfully leads the traveler to those awe-inspiring, stimulating, and unique excursions that are likely to make for a most memorable trip. Detailed maps, black and white photos, cute graphics, and sidebars on special events, kid-friendly and accessible spots, recommended reading, and more break up the text and make it easier for the reader to find terrific tips, even when simply skimming.

In just a quick flip through the book, I uncovered a bed & breakfast just for women (Little River Farm in Worthington, MA, 413-238-4261), a cemetery famous for its art and sculpture (The Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston, 617-524-0703), and a horseback riding outfit on the beaches of Cape Cod (Nelson's, 508-487-1112).

Dugger's enthusiasm for sharing the region's best treasures percolates from every page, and as I've spent time reading her detailed descriptions of everything from trekking with llamas in Great Barrington to sea kayaking in Plymouth Harbor, I've been constantly compelled to ask myself what in the world I'm doing here on the couch with a book when all of these adventures lie just a short drive away!

If you live within easy driving distance of Massachusetts and Western Connecticut, Dugger's Adventure Guide for this region will provide an ever-flowing stream of inspiration and encourage you to explore the wonders we sometimes overlook. And, if you're planning only a short visit to this part of the world, the guide will ensure that your moments in Massachusetts are among your most exhilarating and enjoyable.

"After the Off" is yet another brilliant documentary photograph book of Bruce Gilden's work. His artistic motifs of flash and disembodied figures leads to a riveting, mesmerizing look at the seemingly mundane world of Irish horse racing. Anyone thinking of a placid view of Irish racing will be stunned, and perhaps, shocked by his photographs. Dermot Healy's short story is a fine coupling, but it is completely overshadowed by Bruce Gilden's photography.

What a refreshing book! The photographs are so wonderful and I love the type design! Yolanda Cuomo's studio is on a roll!

and anyone who isn't "owned by a cat", as Taber puts it, will want to be.

In these two books combined into one volume, Taber writes of her day-to-day relationship with her Abyssinian cat named Amber. Taber has intuitive insights into the workings of the feline mind and through this work clearly shows how important pets can be to our daily lives and welfare. Amber was a fortunate cat indeed to have such an owner, or rather, to own Gladys Taber!

Reading this book has made me think of writing my own book about my cat, it was so enjoyable to read about her cat.

I thought of taking one star away due to some of Taber's inaccurate medical advice for cats (i.e. do NOT ever give aspirin to a cat as Taber indicates), but her intentions were good. Just remember while reading this book that for medical advice concerning your cat, see your veterinarian.

I loved this book from the first page to the very end. It's a perfect book to read to lift your spirits or to escape into a different world. I absolutely reccomend it to everyone who loves cats.