I have an autographeed copy the ©1946 edition of Driftwood Valley. I had the privilege of growing up in the same rural Pennsylvania town as Ms. Fletcher. When I was a teenager, I was employed by Ms. Fletcher to clean house for her one summer while she was away. She is a very nice woman with a remarkable background. She has set aside a nature conservatory in Northeast Pennsylvania which is open to the public. She has always been active in protecting the environment and wildlife. I re-read Driftwood Valley every couple of years and just love the adventure and challenges of this true-life story. What made it even more exiting for me is that the author was from my hometown.

I am pleased to see this book has recently been reissued. I have an old, but treasured paperback copy. The author is observant of, informative about, and acutely responsive to the environment she describes. Having experienced winters in that region I would say she is especially adept at rendering the harsh, but radiant winters.

This book is an amazing journey into the frontiers of nature, exploration and science in the 1930's.

The title says it all. The resolution to the novel is not what you expect! My favorite character is Daniel Hood and while at times his actions seem to suspend belief, you feel for this character and want to root him on.

Brodie is a great character as well. I wish there was more info about her but you're revealed yummy carrots, enough to grow attach to her as well.

Only problem I had with this book was the fact it makes me want to read more! :)

It would be easy to categorize "Echos of Lies" a 'thriller' or a good mystery, but to do so would be to take the easy way out. Jo Bannister's novel certainly fits those superficial descriptions--in fact, it rates most highly in the suspense department. But in all fairness to the author, there is much more going on here. "Echos of Lies" is an examination of lies, and lies about lies. Not only is the kidnapping of a young child a lie, all of the relationships which surround Sophie are filled with untruths and pain. And each of the characters who participates in her rescue must create their own deceptions and wrestle with the question of the destructive nature of truth. When should they lie? When is it better to tell a half-truth, or no truth at all? At the beginning of the novel, Daniel Hood is tortured relentlessly for information: the first words he speaks in chapter one are "I don't know...".

And he doesn't know. Miraculously, he survives physically, and confronts his torturers. Miraculously, he unravels the mysteris surrounding kidnapping and death. And at the end, the truth is too destructive to be told. The last sentence of the book is Daniel's lie to the police inspector: "No," he lied. "She never knew, and I never told her."

This book is truly good writing. More than just a challenging read or a thriller, it contains a penetrating depth of thought which makes it intellectually satisfying as well.

"Echoes of Lies" by Jo Bannister is a very challenging book to read. At least it was for me. From very nearly the beginning, Bannister challenged every concept I had on the notions of justice, law, retribution and forgiveness. Jo Bannister really pushed the envelop with this novel.

The plot has already been reviewed rather well, and to discuss it any more would give away plot developments that could spoil things for those who haven't yet read this 'must read' novel. So, I'll stick to what I liked about "Echoes of Lies." The solution to the criminal act of who tortured Daniel Hood, and why is resolved a quarter way through the book. This leads private detective Brodie Farrell and Daniel to another crime and another innocent whose life is at stake. And the identity of the mastermind behind that crime was quite easy to guess as well. No, it's not the crimes or how Daniel and Brodie arrive at the solutions of these crimes that makes this book such compelling reading, but rather the manner in which Bannister makes the reader examine concepts such as punishment of the crime, justice, retribution and revenge. Daniel, the victim of torture, is a character that many will seldom come across, whether in fiction or in real life. The question that nagged at me while I read this book -- is Daniel doing the right thing? -- haunted me even after I had finished the book. This is a book that makes you think and question the accepted social mores about justice and retribution. And is what ultimately makes "Echoes of Lies" such compelling reading.

Bannister did an excellent job in the pacing and execution of the novel -- each new development in the mystery led to an even deeper one. And I liked the manner in which Bannister made each new incident development in the mystery result in the 'fleshing out' of characters as well as insights into their motives.

"Echoes in Lies" is an excellent read. I finished the book in one go -- I simply couldn't put it down. It's not quite the traditional mystery novel, but is a great read nonetheless. Here's my advice: run (don't walk) to your nearest library/bookstore and get this book!

No home movies, no photo albums, no old songs warm myheart more than traveling through New England to some of the very places described in this book. That's where my memories lie. That's where my father took me, and his father before that.

And while I have moved away, there are two great reminders of a childhood that I can only describe as ecstatic. A picture on my wall of E.B. White. And Hickoff & Plumley's book about the best places to fish. Some I've been to. Some I was taken to by these authors.

For those of you who are not as nostaglic and wistful about New England, let me with all honesty say that this book will serve as a superb and practical guidebook. And for those who have a little something more connected to the region, this book is a blueprint for irreplacable memories.

And damned good fishing spots and tips.

I had the pleasure of attending a seminar by Steve Hickoff last winter. I bought this book from him at the seminar, and have used it a lot more than I ever thought I would. My family and I were on vacation at Sebago Lake in Maine recently, and the information in the book on Sebago Lake, the Crooked River, and the Presumpscott River was invaluable. The maps of the Crooked and Presumpscott rivers especially allowed me to get up early, get to a good fishing spot, and even catch a couple of fish (all before the rest of the family even knew I had gone fishing). I really like the Crooked River, it has become one of my favorites. As an earlier reviewer stated, this book gives you the information to get to the good spots, without wasting a lot of time driving around. The book also provided information on what sections of the rivers were fly fishing only, and the local regulations for taking trout and salmon. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who plans on doing any fly fishing in Maine, NH, and Vermont.

FROM THE MOUNTAINS OF VERMONT TO THE ALLAGASH IN MAINE TO SEACOAST OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. HICKOFF AND PLUMNEY KNOW WERE IT'S AT. FROM THEORY TO FLIES TO PRACTICAL INFO. THEY NOT ONLY TALK THE TALK, THEY WALK THE WALK. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANY FLY FISHERMAN RATHER A BEGINNER OR A EXPERT. TIGHT LINES, STEVE, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

The author expended a tremendous effort in researching the Jeff Davis Legion. He has created an interesting history of this unusual cavalry unit. Any one who is interested in the Confederate Cavalry will enjoy the detail information the author has dug out of the archives.

Amazon says book has 40 pages. It has 325

The author obviously performed a great deal of research in order to extract such detailed and little known facts about the "Little Jeff". Truly a gem for all interested in the Civil War. Highly recommended.

I would not want to be Thomas Steinbeck. Imagine: you spend half of your time explaining who you are, the other half explaining who you aren't, and wait for the inevitable question, "Do you write, too?" Steinbeck has blazed his own path, acquiring large if quiet success as a photojournalist, cinematographer, and screenwriter. And, yes, he does write, too. And quite well.

The conundrum one encounters when approaching DOWN TO A SOUNDLESS SEA is approaching it on its own terms without using John Steinbeck as a reference and comparison point. Steinbeck could have avoided at least a portion of the dilemma by writing in a specialized genre, such as science fiction or horror and thus rendered intergenerational comparisons moot. He instead meets the problem head on; the short fiction collected in DOWN TO A SOUNDLESS SEA are Steinbeck's literary transcriptions of tales he grew up hearing from his father and from others who dropped by his household. Steinbeck wisely avoids disclosing to his readers who some of these "others" were, but anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of John Steinbeck's friends and contemporaries can easily guess. The settings for these stories --- Big Sur and the California coast --- were also frequently used by Steinbeck the Father. Thomas Steinbeck, however, has found his own voice, and his own words. He passes, and surpasses the "John Smith" test: if DOWN TO A SOUNDLESS SEA was written by John Smith, it would be worth picking up, and reading.

DOWN TO A SOUNDLESS SEA consists of seven stories; if there is a common thread it is one of men following dreams and remaining true to their internal vision, though not always wisely, not always successfully. Thus, in "The Wool Gatherer," a young John Steinbeck, retained by a rancher as a wrangler for summer work, finds his attention from the job distracted by his sighting of a giant bear, supposedly extinct. His efforts to find the bear, again, result in his wages being docked and his summer effectively wasted. Yet, there is a nobility found in the story that rings true for its time. The ending to this little tale resounds quietly but is writ large, so that it is not so much an entertainment but more a tacit lesson, not sugarcoated but nonetheless easy to swallow.

"Blind Luck," one of the two longer stories in the book, encapsulates the life of Chapel Lodge, whose childhood was so devoid of love and caring that he at one point believed his name to be "Hey you! Boy!" Possessing an innate, canny intelligence, Lodge comes to believe that his luck --- if it is to be had and utilized --- is to be found not on land, but on the sea.

"The Night Guide" is, perhaps, a tale of the supernatural, but more so it is the story of a quiet, but indestructible bond between mother and child, a fable and a history. It does not seem like much, at first, but it echoes with the reader even as the other stories herein are read and digested. The same is true of "An Unbecoming Grace," a deceptively simple little tale involving a traveling physician who plays inadvertently a most important role in the lives of three people, and in the happiness of two of them.

In "The Dark Watcher," meanwhile, an unassuming, untenured college professor sets out to make his academic mark and succeeds in a way that he did not anticipate. "The Blighted Cargo," one of the shortest tales in the book, is also the weakness, though, it is a fine enough entertainment, being a story of an ill-fated venture in the slave trade where the individual involved is, as is said in some parts, caught in his own juices.

The undisputed gem of DOWN TO A SOUNDLESS SEA is, however, "Sing Fat and the Imperial Duchess of Woo," the final story in the book. Almost one hundred pages long, this tale of romance and traditional Chinese engagement between a young widow and a student apothecary is practically worth the price of admission in and of itself. A quick reading of Steinbeck might leave the reader with the feeling that he takes two long to get the point of his stories and then dispenses with it far too quickly. Such an impression misses the point; every building, no matter how beautiful or utilitarian, is no stronger than the foundation upon which it rests. So too, with Steinbeck's short stories, and particularly with this last one, in which we come to know young Sing Fat, and to a lesser extent his erstwhile bride and the Imperial Duchess. It is unfortunate that stories like this or so rarely written in these politically correct, supposedly liberated days; it makes the beauty of this one resonate all the more strongly.

Steinbeck is reportedly working on his first novel. It will be interesting to see what he is able to do when given the room, and the inclination, to stretch his stories out to cover a larger canvas. He will certainly, on the basis of DOWN TO A SOUNDLESS SEA, have an audience ready, and waiting, to greet him on his own terms. Highly recommended.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

After all that is why we read. It doesn't get any better than this. I just purchased the book the day before yesterday and only read 4 of the 7 stories. "Blind Luck" was great and "An Unbecoming Grace" had me laughing out loud at the end of the story.

I wish T. Steinbeck had several voulmes like this, looking forward to his 1st novel-

Don

When I put the book down I thought, Thomas Steinbeck uses words like Monet's brush.

Bardon presents the history of Ulster in bite-size segments. Back in Belfast, I used to read a few subchapters a night--even skipping around between centuries and subjects, I've still learned plenty from this book. If you are really interested in Irish history/politics, get this book. But you may want the hardback edition. My 914-page paperback version hasn't reacted well to travel and frequent reference use. And the index is fantastic.

Although this is a work of history, Bardon has made the book very readable and highly interesting all the way through. It is a difficult and complicated subject, yet he is objective and balanced, especially in the years from 1969 through 1992. Research and attention to detail as well as some interesting maps all contribute to making this the one of the best available books on Ulster to date.

Though originally a bit daunted by the length of the book, it is a very fine history and covers a tremendous amount of material. Ancient Ulster and its settlement through the Elizabethan Plantation, the United Irishmen, the Great Famine, and right into the early 1990's are well researched and written in a wonderfully readable style. Mr. Bardon covers all nine counties of the province of Ulster, not just the six counties comprising Northern Ireland, giving the entire region its full due. The best single-volume history of any of the four provinces of Ireland I've ever read.

A fascinating account of Hitler's obsessive concern over controlling the Norwegian coastline during WWII. Dr Claasen outlines the strategic naivety of Hitler's focus on Norway with brilliant insight and historical accuracy. If you are a student of wartime history, I strongly recommend this book as a valuable tool to understanding the deep and often irrational psyche of Germany's enigmatic leader during World War II. 'Hitler's Northern War' also sheds further light on the bitter interservice feuding and high command interference that was rife amongst the German forces that purposed to invade Norway. A gripping read balanced with exhaustive historical veracity.

This was my first foray into military history and I really liked it. I guess I expected to be bored by endless details of this type of weapon or that, and which soldiers were moved where, but I wasn't bored at all. It helped that Claasen put the whole thing into a strategic context. I could easily see why the northern theatre was so important (especially for its iron ore, but also as a base for air and shipping operations against Britain). While he doesn't labor the detail (thankfully) Claasen relates some great stories of the important clashes. They illustrate the argument he is making. He also focuses on the role of air power, which makes it interesting. The appalling weather conditions made this a difficult theatre for airpower, but the effort there included a number of firsts. For example, it saw the first ever paratroop drop and it provided the first evidence that the balance of air and sea had shifted forever towards the air. In the middle of this is Hitler, as Claasen calls him the "great meddler". Intriguingly, both Churchill and Hitler were obsessed with Norway at varying stages, though Hitler's interest was slow in building, it burned brightly in the end (and in some strange ways). All this was fine in the early stages of the war when the blitzkrieg was so devastating. But later, sustaining a war on a number of fronts, it was all too much for Hitler to keep control of effectively, though that didn't stop him from trying. There are other colorful characters as well, some on the ground (or in the air) in Norway, others like Goering back in Germany. Goering is blamed for Germany's fatal lack of a long-range strategic bomber and maritime aircraft. He is also criticized for his luftwaffe parochialism. He jealously guarded anything that flew from the clutches of the navy, to the detriment of both. This chronic inter-service rivalry and the lack of aircraft seriously hampered the operations and even the usefulness of Norway. It never delivered on its potential, largely because the Germans lacked the necessary aircraft. So the invasion was a complete success (thanks also to the "disjointed and shambolic" response from the allies) but from early on "Norway failed to live up to its billing".

But that doesn't stop this from being a fascinating story, and Claasen does a great job of handling it. He breaks up the essential elements of the tale, selecting what he needs without cluttering up the plot. He often writes with a colorful turn of phrase, and you get the feeling he has an eye for humor and irony in all of this. And there is brilliant material to work with. The geography of Scandinavia, with all its extremes, provides a colorful background. The fate of arctic convoys or vulnerable footholds adds to the excitement. I found this a fantastic book. It's a great read. I recommend it to layperson and expert alike.

I'm pleased to see the University of Kansas Press continues to lead the field in terms of solid, analtyical military history. This book, by Adam Clausen, is every bit as good as David Glantz, Joel Hayward and James Corum's, also published by Kansas.

I learned quite a lot of new things about the Norwegian campaign from this lovely looking, well produced and very readable book.

It also has a set of photographs that I had never before seen.

BUY THE BOOK. ITS OUTSTANDING.

It's about time this book is written. I remember that day very clearly. I was only 11 years old and did not know if my father was alive or dead. Thank God he survived, he was one of the last survivors....John Gadomski and his half brother George Mazur.

This was very good for my project

Provided much information about the Knox Mine. It was a big help with my research paper.

Lisa Tawn Bergren has done an excellent job of wrapping up all the lives we learned to love (and some we didn't!) in the first two of this trilogy. CAPTIAN'S BRIDE and DEEP HARBOR kept you on the edge of your chair and at times exclaiming - "she can't do that to that character!". In MIDNIGHT SUN, you can relax a little more while reading, but for me it was still a "stay up and read until it's finished" wonderful, satisfying ending. The author may state this is the end to this series, but I wonder if she would consider another book with the children all grown up? Does Alaska have to be the final frontier for these wonderful characters? Read all three books, you will laugh and cry with the rest of us!

This is an awesome ending! Midnight Sun is a definite must read for anyone who has read The Captain's Bride and Deep Harbor. When I finished the first two, I felt like I was in the middle of a great movie and the electricity went out! I couldn't wait to see how things ended with Karl, Elsa, Kaatje, Tora and Trent. I only wish that Karl has resolved things with his father. Overall, an excellent book. I'm looking forward to her next book.

If you read The Captain's Bride and Deep Harbor then this is a must. I only regret that this is the last book in the series. I will truly miss the characters! Lisa, another book well written!