I was fortunate to catch Martone at a reading in Florida. It was great fun blending of reality and fiction, and as he said, when you don't have plot or character, you have to have humor. My favorite attractions include the Trans-Indiana Mayonnaise pipeline, the mount Etna active Volcano, and off course Eli Lilly Land ("Its a Prozac world"). The list is however incomplete, and I hope in future editions he will include the David Letterman weather station, where tapes of Letterman's early broadcasts are played 24 hours a day. There should be something to humor everyone in this book, and the cover is quite attractive - having been designed by the architect Michael Graves.

I picked up this book at a book festival not knowing anything about it - other than the fact that everyone around me was telling me to read it! Happy to find something in print about Indiana and as a fan of travel guides, I began to read. It's been a long while since I have laughed out loud at anything I have read and this book definitely made me laugh out loud. From "Our lady of big hair and feet" to the casket testing facility to Eli Lilly-land, I enjoyed this book immensely. Native Hoosiers and those new to the state will enjoy this light-hearted tour through our state.

Garret Mathews does a fine job of giving the reader an "inside" look at independent ball, as he chronicles life with the Evansville (Indiana) Otters of the Frontier League. Being from the home of another Frontier League team, the Johnstown Johnnies, this book had special interest for me. Mathews gives us a good look at the daily routines of the players, their struggles just to make ends meet and the pressures they face. At this level, the players often stay with "host families" and the author gives the reader a look at that aspect of the life of an independent player. I suppose much of what Mathews covers in this book applies to players in the lower levels of affiliated baseball, also.

My only complaint with the book deals with several mis-statements, typos, etc. For example, he discusses the "Cap Cod" League (should be Cape Cod) and states that one player lives in Sonora, California, near Yellowstone National Park. I believe Mathews meant Yosemite National Park; Yellowstone is several states away, in Wyoming. At another point, he refers to (I presume the same player) as both Rick Skinnou and Rob Skinnou. Several things tend to lead to confusion, also. Several times in the book, it is mentioned that he is with the team during the 2001 season, yet near the end of the book, he quizes the manager about whether he'd want the players back in 2001. At another point, games on a road trip seem to run together. The July 26 game seems to start in London, Ontario, but later, in the same stream-of-thought, refers to the Johnstown dugout. And there are more examples.

These errors may seem small and inconsequential, but it seems to be the norm in many books that I've read lately. For me, it tends to take the focus off the intended contents of the book, and puts you in a position of finding the next error.

That aside, I still found "Can't Find A Dry Ball" to be a book that I'd recommend to others (my wife, for instance).

Garret Mathews did a superb job at getting into the game of an independent team. I enjoyed the company in the dugout. Garret did a good job at not forcing the issue of getting a quote all the time. It seemed like he would speak out at certain times of the game that was appropriate.
Furthmore, he did a good job at getting quotes from most of the members of the team. It just shows you that there are so many different types of people from all over the world that can come together to form a baseball team.

This guide has inspired me to explore my own home state! I admit that until I picked up this book I hadn't heard of many of the towns and areas featured and now I want to see them all. The reading is easy; the author writes as if she is your best friend and wants to share a great local travel secret she has just discovered.

I have already sampled a few of the sites featured and found the recommendations pleasantly accurate. This is a great book to keep in the car for reference whether you have time for a whole day or only one short stop. Buy it as a good investment in your travel pleasure.

I thought this book was great. It was very useful. I've spent a good deal of time in Indianapolis, but never really explored many of towns described in the guide book. It even includes day trips to Ohio and Kentucky.

The book is divided in to geographical locations, with each area including one to seven day trips.

The directions are, for the most part, easy to follow, and the restaurant, shop and hotel listings are informative and as up-to-date as possible.

Anyone looking to explore the great state of Indiana, and beyond, I highly recommend this book!

This is a perfectly delightful collection of stories about a family of Quakers, the Birdwells, in Civil War-era Indiana. For the most part, they center around the ongoing but largely unspoken battle between the somewhat free-spirited husband, Jess, who likes singing and horse racing and the like, and his more serious wife, Eliza. The themes dealt with are mostly minor, though the difficulty of remaining pacifist in the midst of war is treated, and, of course, became the core issue in the excellent Gary Cooper film version of the book.

The real value of the book lies in its implicit rebuke to one of the central conceits of the modern age, that simply because rather restrictive religious beliefs were central to peoples' lives in that earlier America, their existences must necessarily have been dour and joyless. This prejudice is silly on its face, contrary as it is to everything we know about human nature, and Jessamyn West's stories, with their devout, but playful, Quaker characters, are a terrific antidote. Though the Birdwells' lives are proscribed by rules and social conventions which may strike us as odd, they are also filled with joy and love and a sense of community, both the physical and the spiritual community, which any one of us would envy.

GRADE : B+

Friendly Persuasion is a group of short stories following an Indianan Quaker couple and their family through their adult lives. Jess, the father is a nurseryman and Eliza, his wife, a Quaker clergy. Jess keeps life lively with comeuppances and an attraction to new conveniences such as gas lighting and running water in the home. The opening story "Music on the Muscatuck" was particularly funny. Well written vignettes with clear characterization. Published in 1940 and still in print. An old-fashioned, "classic" sleeper.

A prolix novel about a small town in Indiana called Plattsville. A stranger from out of town arrives and buys the failing (and laughable ) newspaper and turns it into something worth reading. In the process, the strange, Harkless, expels political scoundrels and angers the "white-caps" (ala, KKK ) in the suburb outside of town.

This is also a characteristic and somewhat predictable love story that Tarkington delivers so easily, with a bit of a surprise ending for the reader. The book is wordy and contains mellifluous descriptions that drone on. However, despite it being slow, it picks up about 50% of the way through and delivers a solid story.

This was the first novel of a great master of American literature - now, unfortunately, practically forgotten - Booth Tarkington.

While nearly all of his books that I've read have been this good, none has been better. It captures to perfection (I think :) country life of the later 1800s, and politics as it fit into it. The descriptions are beatiful but not overdone, and the plot is gripping.

Highly recommended.

This updated 134 page guide-book has been updated from the previous edition, with more than 30 new pages. It's loaded with plenty of super photos, and includes a brief introduction to the collectible. You'll find plenty of manufacturers' catalog pages shown, along with advertising pieces. Collector's will find it interesting and informative. It covers Boon, Hoosier, Kitchen Maid, McDougall, Napanee, Sellers, Wilson Cabinets, and others. A worthwhile addition to your library.

Very informative. Good source of information for anyone exploring the history of "Hoosier" style cabinets.

Just go back from Louisville and used this book for EVERYTHING! Three years after it was published I was still able to use it to cram so much into my visit. I planned visits to historical sites, restaurants and points of interest every day with this guide. Two things you have to do when buying this edition is buy a good city map and call to make sure whatever restaurant you want to go to is still in business (only happened once). Louisville has so much to offer, great food, fun and so much history (2nd only to Boston for the number of historical sites). If you don't have a guide you will miss so many things!

James Nold and Bob Bahr's "The Insiders' Guide to Louisville" is crammed with interesting, honest and friendly information about the city they both love and call home. From restuarants to spectator sports, from nightlife to real estate, these authors offer an wonderfully imformative introduction to Louisville. On every couple of pages, they include "Insider Tips" to add personal advice to their guide book.

I was a little disapointed with the lack of maps. I would have liked to see numbered maps corresponding to the venues and places they discussed. So, if you are using this as your only guide, buy a city map, too!

On the whole, however, this is a knowledgable guide book filled with clear advice.

A classic, though not complicated mystery (I did not solve it --prior to the solution being revealed--even though it was right there in front of my eyes).

Delightfully human (and sometimes hilarious) characters. A few malcontents you can love to hate, as well.

I have visited ND only once briefly, so I'm sure a few of the "in" jokes escaped me. I have enough Catholic friends and watch an occasional college football game, so much of the ND humor still was intelligible.

Incidentally, a serious look at some "ecumenical" religious topics.

A fun read that made me think a little, as well.

This is a very funny and interesting murder mystery that takes place at the U. of Notre Dame. There are a lot of "in-jokes" for those familiar with the ND campus and history.

Originally, I thought this book was a pretty good overview for beginning teachers, but after reading other books, like Your First Year as a High School Teacher, which really gives you all the info you'd need to do the job (or at least get a jump start!), I realize that the practical side of this book is completely missing. Read only if you're interested in the academic argument!

original review:
This book builds on the tradition of case studies of first (and second) year teaching. The early chapters are an academic review of existing literature, and set up the layout for this study. In contrast to some previous studies, the editors of this work were extremely precise in their assessment of problems facing beginning teachers. They use 22 different categories, with which they organize some 574 different difficulties cited in earlier literature. In the second half of the book, you can read the stories promised in the title: a series of accounts written by first-year teachers, students in the education program at Notre Dame. Having now taught part-time for a year, I can relate to many of the difficulties mentioned, and as I move into full-time teaching, I can already see many of the other difficulties arising.

I highly recommend this or similar books to any beginning teacher--while this book is somewhat scanty on advice (except in the second half, and then you may or may not find the stories relevant to your own teaching situation), simply finding your own concern in the list of difficulties is comforting--you know you are not alone. The book is well-organized, and a fast-read, as it is not labored down by statistics. Interestingly, it also compares the survey results from new teachers to results from more experienced teachers. Perhaps best of all, the literature review it provides suggests many other collections you may find valuable.

Keep in mind that this is not a practical solutions book--it is an academic study to determine the difficulties that new teachers face.

Collaboratively compiled and edited by Alysia D. Roehrig, Michael Pressley, and Denise A. Talotta, Stories Of Beginning Teachers: First-Year Challenges And Beyond is an informed and informative survey and description of the unique and manifold challenges new classroom teachers face, replete with anecdotes from teachers during their first year on the job, including memorable encounters, students, and tasks. A highly accessible look at the especial travails of one of the most important occupations concerning the future of humankind, Stories Of Beginning Teachers is especially commended reading for anyone contemplating embarking upon a teaching career.

This game-by-game account of Indiana's 1987 NCAA championsip season recaps the ups and down of an exciting year. The author is a (now retired) writer from the Bloomington Herald-Times - and one of Bob Knight's closest friends. Interesting tidbits, stats, and stories. If you're an IU fan - buy this book.