I am an avid cookbook collector and also an avid reader, (and maybe a bit of a nostalgic). But Marilyn Kluger is by far my favorite cookbook "author." She has written here, and also in her book, The Wild Flavor, wonderful accounts of her life in the midwest - growing up in Country Kitchens, and raising her own children in Wild Flavor. Her accounts of gathering wild fruits actually sent me on a trip one September to the Ohio River valley in search of Paw Paws. The power of her narrative was that great! The recipes are also wonderful. I have found each one of them to be a treasure in their ability to bring back the flavors of my own childhood. Good home cooking and wonderful stories to boot! Happy reading and baking!

I read this 'recipe book' from cover to cover. I've tried a few of the recipes and they turned out great too! The story of the author's childhood centered around her mother's kitchen in a small farm in Indiana beginning in the mid-1930's is fascinating. Not a dull moment! This was a great addition to my library. It is not only a cookbook, but also a history book.

Dr. Curry has devoted many hours to this project over several years and should be proud of the results. The photos are excellent and descriptive information is useful as well. A great resource for entomology enthusiasts.

This is the only field guide on dragonflies in Indiana. It is very organized and easy to follow, with great full-color pictures of all the species. Great buy for any dragonfly enthusiast.

One of a fantastic series of 4 chuck full of informational volumes dedicated to a particular geographic area. A must for any rock hound weather you travel or just live in the geographic area of the volume. If you can afford it, get all 4 regional volumes. Start with your area. The location information brake down of the minerals to be found in each state counties is so valuable you can't do with out it. Saves time, eliminate barren hunting grounds and it's so detailed as to where and how you find the minerals. This is just one of a fact full accurate guide series you'll want to have in your rock library. Don't settle for an older printing, this one is reprinted and has been updated.

This book looks like it's going to be a GREAT asset in my mineral hunting! I like the way it's set up, by state and then by county within the state. It lists the various sites, tells what has been found at each site and (by a code explained in the front of the book) where in each site the minerals were (in a field, in a mine, in the water, etc.). There are directions of varying degrees to each site. That's the one thing I'd quibble about -- some of the directions aren't that precise. But I understand that some of these sites are private lands, or not completely documented, and he can't come out and say, "Go fifty feet past the blue house, down a ravine, and to your left." In general, the directions seem good enough to get you close, and after that it's up to you.

He lists the rocks and minerals found at each site and gives some information about the quality at most places, including size of crystals found, color (and quality of color), and so on.

My only regret? I don't know if I'll have time to visit each site he has listed! So many rocks, so little time........

This book is fantastic! I love how it is written in short stories/memories. It makes for an easy read leaving you with anticipation for the next memory. I borrowed it from the library (Cicero, Indiana). I loved it as I stated before but am going to buy a copy for my Father-in-Law who also grew up during the depression on a small farm in northern Indiana. I'm sure he will enjoy it much, much more than I and will recall fond memories for him as well. He is in his 80's and is still living in the house where he was born and farming the farm. The author is brilliant is his writing!

Hi Uncle Bill. I loved the book. I had it read it within 3 days. I could not put it down after I started it. I can not wait for the next book to come out that you write. Love, Lori LaFollette (Rensberger)

This book tells the story of the KKK in Indiana. It turns out this was a real hotbed for the KKK and they were extremely powerful controlling cities, police, the governor. If you think of the KKK as Southern, this book will set you straight. The head of the Indiana KKK was D.C. Stephenson who was tried for rape and murder. A truly scary book, but a page burner and dead-on historically.

If you like true "whodunit" stories that still leave you wondering at the end, then this is the book for you. An unfathomable story leading up to a 1920s "Trial of the Century," Lutholtz raises almost as many questions as he answers in his quest for understanding of the mind and actions of D.C. Stephenson, a man so powerful he brought down a governor and a mayor in seemingly one fell swoop, controlled the police chief of a major metropolitan city of the time and had the temerity to claim "I am the law in Indiana." The author does a superb job in uncovering information concerning Stephenson's trial for murder that many Hoosiers don't seem comfortable discussing. Lutholtz also offers excellent coverage of the lawyers and judges involved, and the dangers and pitfalls they faced in trying a man who terrified just about everybody!

Eerie, Indiana was a wonderful show, and they did a fabulous job of writing a book series on it. The books are written so that even teens like me can enjoy them. Anyway, "Have Yourself an Eerie Little Christmas" is volume 5 of the Eerie book series.
Marshall makes a wish that it would snow for once, after shaking a strange snowglobe. The next morning, when they wake up, it's snowing...

It's two days before Christmas in Eerie, Indiana, and everybody's rushing to finish their last-minute shopping, including two friends: Marshall "Mars" Teller and Simon Holmes. They stop in at an odds-and-ends store called World of Stuff where Marshall finds a snow globe for his mother.

Later that night, while the two boys are getting ready for bed, Marshall makes an offhand wish for it to snow in Eerie like it does in the snow globe. The next morning, Marshall and Simon awake to a snow storm--and an 80-year-old curse that repeats the same day (December 24, 1917) over and over again. Only Marshall and Simon are aware of the repeated pattern and immediately search out the root of the curse, which originates at a mysterious house that looks exactly like the one in the snow globe.

"Have Yourself An Eerie Little Christmas" is the fifth book in the Eerie Indiana series, which is based on the same-named TV show ("Eerie, Indiana") that aired back in the early 90s. If you liked the show, you'll probably enjoy the books as well. If you've never heard of this series before (book or TV), I'd highly recommend you watch the reruns and read the books, especially if you'd like a junior approach to The X-Files.

I can give this book no higher praise than I have read it every year for the last 15 years, and have never tired of it. It describes my utopia.

The highly mannered style and aggrandized gaze of Nicholson's world nevertheless delights and enchants the reader with the silken kaleidoscope of sensory values pulled through narrow golden hoop of the written page. Indiana's lace-edged tintype history gleams with romance, mystery, substance. I am proud to own this signed first edition, and collect Nicholsons where others have imprudently overlooked them. The story begins as the hero enters the scene, nodding at the criminal foil, the stately and perfect heroine(American style if you please,) and the lifelong friend of the old school. Never again shall a writer look to the future and look back over the shoulder of American History with such finesse. A grand mystery, may Hollywood never grab it!

As a local history buff, I was pleased to encounter this book at the bookstore. Professor Madison does a nice job outlining Indiana's history in a way that the average arm-chair historian can understand without any difficulty whatsoever. The first section is devoted to the land and the early people who inhabited the land. He does a great job getting the geographical history down in a concise manner. It's easy to ramble about the topic, but Madison does a nice job of being brief, but also impeccable with content. He covers all the bases.
I particulary enjoy the social history, which talks about race-relations and also about people who helped form the State.

Most major events in American History are taken from the Hoosier perspective as well. While reading, you can tell that Madison has a particular love for the State of Indiana. He writes about it in such a way that demonstrates his admiration for the early settlers, but also he looks at them from a realistic point of view. He does not write history from rose-colored glasses, and writes in a honest and refreshing sort of way.

My only complaint would be that there needs to be more pictures. I do have to add that the photos included are obviously carefully selected, as they make silent statements in themselves. For example, the one of Klan members exiting a church in rural Knox, Indiana, or the one of a one-room delapitated school house in northern Clinton Co. He did a great job in selecting appropriate photos... I only wish there were more.

I took Indiana History at Indiana University from Dr. Madison and I loved the class. THE INDIANA WAY complimented the lectures very well. I learned a new thing from each chapter. Did you know that George Rogers Clark was an indian scalper? Did you know that the Confederates crossed the Ohio River during the Civil War? Did you know that in the 1920s the KKK had the governor in their pocket? Did you know that Wendell Willkie and Paul V. McNutt were in the same graduating class at Indiana University? I did not know these things before reading THE INDIANA WAY, and I cannot wait for the second edition to come out.

Ray Scheele does a wonderful job of capturing the life of Larry Conrad, a true public servant. The reader is left wishing that all our elected officials embodied the same qualities that Conrad did, regardless of political affiliation.

This is an outstanding account of the life of one of the thousands of Americans whose public service nurishes and sustains the nation. Raymond Scheel has not only captured the contributions of a good and effective local and state leader, Larry Conrad, but he also places Conrad in context and makes clear why such men are important. Scheele has mastered an impressive amount of material, including extensive personal interviews. This book is an interpretation as well as an account of Conrad's lfe in crystal clear language.