Great local color, humorous outlook, authentic reminiscences ofrural medicine.

I really enjoyed this book. Nothing funnier than truth, and this author knows first-hand what it's like to encounter the Maine yankee in all of his integrity, skepticism, and humor.

Very interesting to see how medicine has changed for the 'Family Doctor' over the past century. Imagine making 'housecalls' in the middle of the night during a snow storm, or nearly getting run off the road by clergy to reach a dying man first.

This book is well worth the read for anyone who's interested in the 'old' Maine and the life of a country doctor. Good Work Dr Betts!

I really enjoyed this tale. The author has a neat sense of humor, even when dealing with lots of difficulties on the job. It made me realize what it was like for a general practice back in those days, and likely for todays' rural doctors.

I picked up this book not too long ago. I loved it I have already begun planning my travels. I want to start with the firt place mentioned. I would recommend it to anyone!

This is the most enjoyable travel book I've read to date! I enjoyed just reading it & can't wait to plan some of the trips! As a resident of New York City, my access to a car is limited. I love the idea of not having to worry about getting a rental car, paying for it, or having to return it! Not to mention, being able to start my vacation immediately rather than waste time sitting in traffic! To the authors: Keep up the good work! I'm waiting for a follow up!

for the person who lives and works in New York City, this handy book provides a great way to beat the fall and winter doldrums of spending everyday in the city. Instead of just renting a video or fighting the saturday night crowds at Manhattan's movie theaters and eateries, you can actually go to another place (one hour away) visit a museum and some galleries, wander into charming boutiques and collectable shops,dine under candlelight and spend the night in a room overlooking a forest, with beds turned down and a chocolate kiss on your pillow, awake to an elegant brunch... and return to the city refreshed and rejuvenated, ready to begin your work week. And you don't have to have a car, big bucks or a significant other to do it! What a revelation ... this book tells you how.

While I found this story a little naive in regards to the probability of the outcome, it was a welcome relief from the usual drivel sold on the bookshelves nowadays. I am so tired of graphic sex and violence and these authors, along with B.J.Hoff and the Thoenes, prove that we can read good, engrossing stories without having our intelligence insulted. It's one I will keep in my collection.

I HAVE READ "CAPE LIGHT" AND "HOME SONG" BOTH THESE BOOKS ARE WONDERFUL! TO SAY THE LEAST. I AM VERY PICKY WITH WHAT I READ. BOTH BOOKS I CAN PUT MYSELF RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT I FEEL I AM THERE. I WANT TO SAY 5 STARS IS NOT ENOUGH THANK YOU I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO READING THE NEXT NOVEL CALLED"A GATHERING PLACE"

I enjoyed Home Song immensely. It is a refreshing change from many books on the shelves today. If you are are looking for some light, clean-cut reading about simple life in a small town, start with Cape Light then read Home Song. Hopefully, soon we will find out when the 3rd book in the trilogy will be out. If you like Jan Karon's books about Mitford, I am sure you will like Cape Light and Home Song.

In my youth, I often vacationed in Maine and happened to find this book in the local library during one trip. It was truly inspiring for me as a young girl, both to appreciate the great state of Maine and to go on to write memoirs of my own. I would recommend this classic to any would-be memoirist, as a great example of how a well-written life story can transcend time.

I often don't get a chance for much pleasure reading so many books that I start never get finished. This book, however, grabbed me in from the start and like the other reviewer said, I could not put it down. It truly transported me to Maine, a state that I love to visit. However, even if you aren't a Maine fanatic, I think you will enjoy the book and it's ability to take you away from your everyday life. In addition, the strong, independent women who play the lead roles in the book are truly inspirational, especially considering the time period in which they were asserting this independent spirit. Seeing their willingness to jump in to a business that they knew little about and to set it up successfully in a short period of time has really awakened in me the belief that anything is possible -- you just have to be bold enough to go after it. This book is a wonderful read and one that I will surely pick up time after time. I highly recommend it.

This book written about the trials and tribulations of two young girls who quit their jobs in New York and took up running a grocery store in Goose Rocks. Scotty does a fantasitc job at taking the reader to Maine. She captivated me and I truely could not put this book down. I want read it again right away!

Bruce Roberts may be the best lighthouse photographer working in the U.S. today. The books by him and his partner Ray Jones are really lighthouse travel guides. For each lighthouse featured, you'll get a great picture from Roberts, a little historical story from Jones and directions of how to get there. The lighthouse lover could scarcely ask for more.

This book is great if you love exploring and finding lighthouses. The authors give a nice overview and history of the lighthouse and then give detailed directions on how to find it. We just spent time finding many of the lighthouses described by the authors on the Maine coast and had a great time.

excellent review of all lighthouses in the area. photos superb. recommend it to anyone who loves lighthouses.

If you like adventures, here's a book for you!It's about a family that moved from Holland to America. They faced storms, sadness, and sickness at sea, and then they finally land in America. I liked the main charcter, a boy named John, who faced many trials and was very brave.

The American Adventure series is a great way to teach history to your kids in an exciting way! We use the series as part of our history lessons while we home school our six kids. The series shows history from a Christian view piont.

John's family have arrived in America and try to make a life in the new land. Sarah was my favorite character because she was hardworking, brave, and kind-hearted. This book is an easy way to learn history.

This book is a little silly. We are told to tip the waitstaff well since they really could be artists (as opposed to a mother trying to support her child?) If you can get past the hype about the city, and it is a great city, the book is well organized and offers solid suggestions for exploring the town. There is a section on the history of the town describing Indian raids and the destruction of the city twice by fire. The final rebuilding in the 1860's and 70's accounts for it's consistent architectural style.

Restaurants by category, wine bars, biker bars, coffee houses, dance spots, theatre, where to hear live music - this book tells all. It is exhaustive enough to provide plenty of suggestions but not overwhelming in it's coverage.

As far as looking like a tourist, don't worry about it. We love tourists, and I picked up a copy myself.

I actually live in Portland - but I still love this book, and I often turn to it when I'm looking for somewhere new to eat or something new to see. It gives an insiders look into all the different restaurants, bars, beaches, and shopping experiences that you could want. Though a couple of the restaurants he lists are now closed - this book can stand the tests of time. Portland is full of tourists in the summer, so don't worry about sticking out. Just get this book to make sure that you don't miss out on any of the great things the city has to offer.

We just got back from a mini-vacation to Portland and it was one of the most enjoyable trips we've had. A lot of that is thanks to Mr. Barry's handy guide. We've been to Portland previously, but had not seen or experienced it the way we did this time. We would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is going to the area for the first time or even, like us, has been to the area before. We both probably still looked like tourists, but I bet that we experienced many things not normally experienced by other tourists, unless they had purchased this guide.

When Phil Conkling came out with the first edition of Islands in Time he more or less created a genre of Human Ecological writing that was actually of use to a wide audience. Mixing history, geology, ecology and geography with a healthy dose of the story-tellers whimsy the book has become something of a cult classic for many of us in the Archipelago. Unfortunately the second edition is a bit of a step backward. It's big. too big. The first edition fitted comfortably in a daypack -this seems aimed more at coffee tables. It's chatty, and I think that a rather savage editor would have worked wonders. We get a bit too much of the "and-then-Raven-gave-a-thump-as-she-ran-over-the-puffin" style of writing & it tends to distract us from some really good stories & the solid history/natural history that shone so clearly from the first edition. That being said, if you are only going to take one book with you Downeast & are going the whole way Downeast, and can't find the first edition, get this.

I'm just finishing my first read of this book, and all I want to do is go back to the beginning and read it all again. This book is filled with people, history, nature, fascinating anecdote, gorgeous prose, introspective rumination, and too much rich information to even begin to digest in one reading. Conkling is a scientist comfortable with an amazing array of subjects and he is also a humanist and pretty-nearly a poet. I have a tendency to fall into the bleeding-heart environmentalist category, and while not offending my sensibilities in the least (he loves nature with a passion), he opened my eyes to many valid coastal points of view among the lobstermen, fishermen, and others. I changed my mind about a number of things while reading his book and I love Maine even more as a result of reading it. Lovely, informative, fascinating book! I'm one of those English-major types and a writer, and Conkling has not only increased my respect for science but has shown me how beautifully the arts and sciences can blend in a thoughtful, productive, earth-changing way.

This is a beautiful book--I'm sorry to see that no one has commented on it yet. It gives a wealth of information about the geology, ecology, and ecosystem of coastal Maine, but even better, it's written in a style that often verges on the poetic. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Having read many of her books about her life in rural Maine, I was disappointed with this one. It is written in the same simple style which is enjoyable to read but the content was not as good. Most of this book is about the various people who lived near the author. Discussions on their personality quirks and the mundain details of their lives are not really all that interesting. The stories are only intersting to those who know these people. I enjoy reading books like this to learn what life is like for others is situations different from mine. I learned nothing new with this one. I am glad I did not read this book first or I never would have read her others.

After two wonderful books (1942 & 1946) largely about herself and her relationship with the northwoods of Maine, Louise Rich was wise to shift her focus to the strong character, ethics and coping skills of her remote neighbors. My Neck of the Woods is a real treasure.

Louise Dickinson Rich was one of a kind and this is one of her best. This is one of those books that makes you a part of her fascinating and down to earth world.

David Kepesh, the aforementioned professor, towards the end of "Professor of Desire," contemplates the introductory lecture he is to deliver to his class on comparative literature:

"Indiscreet, unprofessional, unsavory as portions of these disclosures will surely strike some of you, I nonetheless would like, with your permission, to go ahead now and give an open account to you of the life I formerly led as a human being. I am devoted to fiction, and I assure you that in time I will tell you whatever I may know about it, but in truth nothing lives in me like my life."

This passage may as well be an introduction to this book, one of Roth's most potent and stirring novels from his earlier days. Through the chronicles of David Kepesh's early life, Roth examines the paradoxes of love and desire, the bridges between literature and life, and our nearly-lunatic search for identity.

In this book, we follow Roth's familiar character David Kepesh from his childhood in the Catskills hotel owned by his parents, to a post-college year of sexual freedom in Scandinavia, to a tempestuous/disastrous marriage to Helen Baird, followed by a winter of despair, and concluding with his relationship with Claire Ovington, marked by a love that is blemished by waning desire.

In the end, although more questions are posed than can ever be answered, Roth's novel can resonate with anyone who has ever grappled with the mysteries of love and self-discovery - namely, everyone. And along the way, the reader can revel in the wit, wry humor, and intellect adored by every Roth fan.

David Kepesh, the aforementioned professor, towards the end of "Professor of Desire," contemplates the introductory lecture he is to deliver to his class on comparative literature:

"Indiscreet, unprofessional, unsavory as portions of these disclosures will surely strike some of you, I nonetheless would like, with your permission, to go ahead now and give an open account to you of the life I formerly led as a human being. I am devoted to fiction, and I assure you that in time I will tell you whatever I may know about it, but in truth nothing lives in me like my life."

This passage may as well be an introduction to this book, one of Roth's most potent and stirring novels from his earlier days. Through the chronicles of David Kepesh's early life, Roth examines the paradoxes of love and desire, the bridges between literature and life, and our nearly-lunatic search for identity.

In this book, we follow Roth's familiar character David Kepesh from his childhood in the Catskills hotel owned by his parents, to a post-college year of sexual freedom in Scandinavia, to a tempestuous/disastrous marriage to Helen Baird, followed by a winter of despair, and concluding with his relationship with Claire Ovington, marked by a love that is blemished by waning desire.

In the end, although more questions are posed than can ever be answered, Roth's novel can resonate with anyone who has ever grappled with the mysteries of love and self-discovery - namely, everyone. And along the way, the reader can revel in the wit, wry humor, and intellect adored by every Roth fan.

Philip Roth's 1972 novella, "The Breast", a take-off on Kafka's story "The Metamorphosis", introduced us to David Kepesh, a professor of Literature, who one morning wakes to find himself transformed into an enormous mammary. David Kepesh reappears as the title character of Roth's 1979 novel, "The Professor of Desire". Besides borrowing characters from the earlier story, Roth works in lots of references to Kafka, includes a long episode describing Kepesh's pilgrimage to Kafka's grave in Prague, and at one point compares Kepesh's relation to his body to K.'s relation to the authorities of "The Castle":

". . . I can only compare the body's single-mindedness, its cold indifference and absolute contempt for the well-being of the spirit, to some unyielding, authoritarian regime. And you can petition it all you like, offer up the most heartfelt and dignified and logical sort of appeal - and get no response at all. If anything, a kind of laugh is what you get."

I wasn't able to buy all this Kafka business. To me it seemed pasted-on and extrinsic to the spirit of the rest of the novel. But this is quibbling. "The Professor of Desire" is a delightful story, in which Philip Roth exuberantly displays his many quite un-Kafkaesque gifts. First among them is a magical gift for characterization; it seems that every character in this novel, and there are many, springs effortlessly to life as a complete individual, from Herbie Bratasky on the first page to Mr. Barbatnik on the last.And then there's Roth's eerie gift for dialogue. His characters' words seem always to flow from their own personalities, not the author's, and their speeches are often masterpieces of comic invention.

Though perhaps it falls short of Roth's best, this is a wonderful book. I heartily recommend it.