Garret Keizer's book, A Dresser of Sycamore trees is a thoughtful and carefully written book which describes the "everyday" work of the Holy Spirit in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Keizer's descriptions of his friends and neighbors in this small town are tremendous. He does an amazing job seeing God's presence in his everyday work and ministry as a vicar of a small church and a high school English teacher. He reminds me of what St. Francis is quoted to have said, "Preach the gospel. If necessary, speak." Garret Keizer preaches with his actions and through his descriptions of the lives of "ordinary" people. This is a must - read.

Garrett Keizer's story will settle even the most adventurous spirit from searching to enfolding an inner Spirit much more gratifying.

I am shocked that the publisher would describe this book as "a surprise critical sensation." It's prose alerts us to one Christian's view of the invisible Christ, manifest in people, things, and incidences. It is excellently, thought provokingly written. I cannot with my own words evoke the message of this book, so I will defer to the author, in a quote from his work. . . ."It is about mysticism and orthodoxy, ordinariness and sanctity, unity and diversity and about the intersection of all these things in a design that looks to me like a cross." -pg. 150 Read this book because it is about a common man doing the uncommon and thereby transforming his world, our world, into a place "set apart" for divine possiblities.

There's a story told about a Buddhist monk who could look into your eyes and see your grandmother's soul. The collaboration between author Howard Frank Mosher and photographer John M. Miller, called "Granite & Cedar: The People and the Land of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom" gives the common reader a chance for a similar view. This remarkable book gives a profound opportunity to see into and beyond the familiar of "home."
"Granite & Cedar" is set in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom; the black and white photographs (most taken between 1971 and 1976) represent a simpler time when the region was a world unto itself. Then the Interstate rolled through, and it was suddenly easier to have second homes here. Long-time residents could come and go with ease, and the world of the Northeast Kingdom changed. Patterns of life shifted, and familiar traditions suddenly reappeared as people, places and ways that were different.
Mosher's haunting story of Aunt Jane Hubbell weaves through the photographs like hand washed thread turning into fine lace. The story opens in 1965 as the plans for the Interstate are introduced. Aunt Jane has fierce stubbornness and loyalty to family, both living and dead. Will she stand up to the engineers at the public hearing for the highway, or will she back down in deference to her 78 years and ancestors lying at rest? How will she be remembered?
We see the time-worn buildings standing tall beside symbols of an emerging era of rapid obsolescence; we see wool jackets and spruce boards holding their ground to synthetic fleece and vinyl siding; we see men and women whose lives and ways are somehow very familiar although today - they are gone.
We see into a place and time well used by those who lived off the land and were shaped by it and who like Aunt Jane were, above all, practical. Mosher and Miller have unwrapped the gift we thought unique to the legendary monk.
For those with connections to the Northeast Kingdom "Granite & Cedar" will be tenderly familiar. And yet strictly regional, this book is not. For those who only know Vermont's fringe from a distance, the connection to home will prevail.
"Granite & Cedar" is Mosher and Miller at their best.

I read this book before it was published and for sale on the internet...back when I was living in PaKham myself. I found this book really entertaining from the perspective that I was living in the same town, meeting the same people, and having some of the same experiences.
PaKham is one of the littlest known places in Thailand, but to me it will always be home. The book is very honest and humorous. It's a nice perspective on living in Thailand in a rural village in the poorest region of the country. There are good sections on the political history of the area (which is briefly mentioned in Lonely Planet...we had the monk that ordained a forest in order to save it from being harvested), information on ghosts and superstition (a big part of life in Essan and a favorite chapter of mine), plus Thai idioms and language (that are always useful when trying to impress your Thai friends).
I recommend this book to anyone thinking of living in Thailand, especially doing the volunteer life, and anyone thinking of travelling there as well (for more than 2 days that is). Or if you're just interested in travel writing.

Really not much to recommned it. The plot line is completely unbelieveable and rests on one improbable after another. In addition the plot hangs on the crutch of a writer as the protagonist. Not compelling at all, not a page turner. At least the setting is somewhat nice. As noted by another reviewer, the central element of enticement, the jailbreak, is completely glossed over, an after thought, as if the writer decided he was not up to the effort. The book continues in this vein.

Great plot. Average writing. The escape is made too simple. There are some interesting scenes with the townspeople and the people at the Inn. But otherwise the book has average written all over it. I was surprised when one of the other reviewers stated
that this book was actually written by Chuck Hogan. When I read this book I thought it was actually written by a woman.
Check out page 54 (paperback) "Rebecca noted that the sage-green floral wallpaper matched the fabric of the seat cushions, and the lien". Or page 57 "sitting in a quilt-backed rocking chair with a china cup of blackberry tea...." Does that sound like a male writer or does it sound like one of those cozy British mysteries.

The book was written in a easy to follow fast paced action novel. It's not complicated. It's just a fun read. The suspense is good, the action well packed. The concept of a prison break out of this extreme, is of course, fictional, but that is what a fictional book is all about. To entertain us. Not to convince us it could really happen. I really enjoyed this book and the simplistic writing style of Peter Collinson. I look forward to his next book.

"Aren't those Vermonters cute ?" "Aren't I profound ?" This collections of anecdotes, snippets, and name dropping sure doesn't sound like the people of Cabot, Vt., that I know. In Tom Wolfe's 'Bonfire of the Vanities', Wolfe left out writers. Keep watch on Mamet. If this book really expresses his thoughts, he should self-ignite soon.

I spent several years in Vermont and still go back as often as I can. Mamet captures much of the simple magic about the state and its people. The chapters are disconnected fragments, but that is fine. The impressions combine to give a good picture of life in this curiously unspoiled place.
I have read 3 volumes in this National Geographic Discoveries series and have just ordered 3 more. They are short, insightful and written by some of the best writers out there. The whole series is worth a careful look. If they sold them on subscription, I would sign up. Someone good is doing the commisioning here.

I live just north of Mamet's hometown of Cabot, Vermont, and know many of the places and some of the people in the book (I've never met Mamet himself). For most of us who live in or close to the Northeast Kingdom, it is a beautiful, but gritty place to make a go of it. There is much to exult about and much to damn. Mamet's take is mostly dead on. While some of the book romanticizes life here, other passages criticize both himself (directly) and others (obliquely). I found myself agreeing with much of his analysis and many of his honest portrayals. Those inhabiting the right fringe of the political spectrum might find some of Mamet's opinions distasteful, but they have it coming.
Although the word "vide" was used too often, I like a book that stretches one's vocabulary. Keep a dictionary close by if you buy this book. I also like a book whose whole is greater than the sum of the parts and that reads, at times, like poetry. The evocative black and white photos help capture this unique vision of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. I look forward to rereading this book.