Dead of Winter takes you to a small island town in Maine and captures you there until the last page. I found David Crossman's use of small town conversation and gossip an interesting way to reveal clues and information; endearing the small town and its people to the reader. You feel involved in this mystery of whodunit.

I had never been a mystery reader until a friend suggested that I read "A Show of Hands." That captivated me. Then I purchased "Secret of a Missing Grave" and read it with my granddaughter. To date, I have read ALL five of David Crossman's books. I was successful in obtaining an out-of-print book "Murder in A Minor Key." "The Dead of Winter," true to a Crossman book, kept me entranced to the last page. He introduces you to characters that become your friends. His books have also provoked my husband and I to travel to Maine and investigate the islands. The "Maineiacs" are fascinating and remarkable people. All of his books deserve 5 stars. He has an expert technique of telling his stories with humor and suspense. You will not find inappropriate language, or obscene references. This proves that someone with the intellect of David Crossman can write without subjecting us to the ugliness of the world. Many Thanks for your skills.

Bravo, Mr. Crossman for yet another fantastic book.

The author does an outstanding job at offer the details of survival in the north. I lived in Trenton for many years and know some of the people mentioned. It is embarassing as a Canadian to see how ill equiped we are and what we make our troops do with so little to work with.

The rescue part in the book was a bit abrupt and final...perhaps he could have offered more insight to the final rescue moments.

A thrilling story how just real life can write it. Realistic to the bone with these magic moments which you cannot explain. They just happen and everybody has its own idea what it was for. This book enriches your world of symbols and you learn about the (protection-?) function of phantasy in extreme situations. The book is full of very personal ways to death and back to life. Lots of details make it to more than a "light at the end of the tunnel story". All this is framed by the technical world of the search and rescue schemes with its todays heros: The people of the rescue squads. These storyline let the reader rest after the emotional parts of personal (the main characters) hardship. Both storylines together build up the enormous suspense of this book. To the author: Good, very sensitive recherche realisticly narrated. Perfect for this story.+++ Thanks to all the people who added their for sure not very pleasant memories to make this book possible +++

Fans of Patrick O'Brian will love Amasa Delano's Voyages. Delano's travels took him through the same uncharted waters and touched the same exotic lands as O'Brian's intrepid Captain Jack Aubrey and his ever-curious companion Stephen Maturin, but with a difference: O'Brian's heroes live in fiction; Delano was for real.

Seldom have I read a seafarer's account with so many varied and interesting observations about the world through which he traveled. Joseph Banks, Charles Darwin and other professional naturalists wrote a good deal about the flora and fauna they studied, of course, but Delano's curiosity takes him everywhere and informs the reader about an amazing range of contemporary details of life and human behavior.

Berkshire House Publishers and Eleanor Seagraves have performed a service of great value in resurrecting this account of sea voyages that played a critical role in establishing America's place in the field of maritime commerce and exploration. Truth can be stranger than fiction. Delano's extradordinary exploits are every bit as fascinating as the tales told by Patrick O'Brian and will appeal to the same readership. Handsomely illustrated.

I bought the book on John Milliman and the companion book on Aaron Milliman a few years ago. I refer to them constantly and have provided information to other family members doing Milliman family research. A great compilation of names and information and WELL indexed. If you have a Milliman in your family tree this is the book for you!

Ms. Austin did a supberb job in researching and compiling information on the decendants of the first known Milliman in America. If you are researching the Milliman family line you will be absolutely thrilled to obtain this book. She even included pictures when available. What a treasure!!!! Thank you Ms. Austin!

This series of guides has a well-established format - which, in this instance, has been used to very good effect by an Author who knows what he is doing.

Beginning with an explanation of how the book should be used, there are keys, legends and icons to be understood. These are placed next to each dive site throughout the book as an instant means of identifying the type and standard of diving involved. Not popular with everyone - but very useful for those who like them. Next is an introductory chapter which provides plenty of information vital to anyone contemplating a visit. This is followed by a large section on diving and snorkelling in general, before the book gets down to specifics. Altogether, this proved to be an excellent "lead-in."

Commencing with the USVI, this section kicks off with an introduction to the country and then goes on to cover 72 specific dive sites throughout St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John. This is followed by similar information on the BVI before tackling 60 dive sites found throughout Tortola, Virgin Gorda and Anegada. The book then concludes with chapters on the marine environment, photography, health & safety and a bibliography.

Lawson Wood is an immensely capable and experienced underwater photographer and author. I found the overall standard of photography to be well above that which is noramally encountered in such guides and it says much for Mr Wood's skills that I was unable to find a single poor photograph within the book.

In Summary; an excellent and well-presented book produced by a talented writer and photographer - and one that will not disappoint anyone contemplating a visit to the Virgin Islands.

NM

I really love this book..it is really well written and incredibly informative. I would love to read anything Lawson Wood decided to write next!

Great photos & maps too. I especially like the little tidbits of information set off in blue boxes throughout the book.

There are those Publishers who know how to produce Guide Books for Divers and those Divers who are able to provide the goods. Aqua Quest and Cancelmo are an excellent combination.

"Diving Cayman Islands" measures 10" x 7" and is another guide in the medium size format favoured by Aqua Quest. These particular publishers set high standards in terms of quality of information and standard of photography and this book is a worthy addition to the series.

The book is clearly laid out with chapters on the islands, accommodations, shopping, nightlife, an overview of the diving, specific dive sites and marine life. The first chapter begins with a précis of the country's history followed by details of the present day. This is followed by a map and all that essential information such as climate currency, dress, electricity, entry/exit requirements, getting, there, medical, language, time, water, postal - and, if I have forgotten something, this book did not.

The overview of Diving includes all the relevant information the diver needs to know including; boat diving, conservation, dive operators on the 3 Cayman islands (Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman), regulations, equipment, safety, shore diving and more.

As one might expect, the specific dive sites are then divided into those 3 islands with a chapter dedicated to each. These commence with a map of each island with all the relevant sites numbered and displayed on that map before each site is finally described with an adequate narrative and relevant depth. It was nice to see the Russian Frigate off Cayman Brac being featured in a guide book - without this outstanding dive site being allowed to take over and dominate the entire work. The book then concludes with a chapter on Marine Life and an Appendix containing Emergency Information.

This is a well-rounded book with everything supported by some pretty stunning and imaginative photography. For anyone considering a trip to this corner of the Caribbean - this is the only book you will require.

NM

I aquired this book just prior to a trip to the Caymans. The general information about the islands was thorough and very helpful. The details about each island - people, geography,accomadations, dive sites, etc. assisted me in making a decision on which island to visit. I ended up in Little Cayman where the diving was spectacular! We also enjoyed a day of diving on Cayman Brac. I had the book on our dive boat and I have to say it was thoroughly enjoyed by many divers. Some would reference the dive site before we reached it and others enjoyed reading the reviews after taking the plunge. All the dive site info was thorough and accurate. The photographs are excellent. I would highly recommend this book to anyone planning a trip to the Caymans or anyone who enjoys beautiful underwater photos.

Yesterday I received Karen's "Down Home on Nelson Island" from Amazon. Last night I sat down and read the whole book (147 pages) in one sitting. She has done an outstanding job in capturing the 'flavor' of life on the Outer Banks. Her fictional characters ring true. I've known real-life counterparts to her "Arthur Austin", "Rachel", and "Sarah". What a wonderful warm-hearted antidote for the stress that surrounds us just about everywhere.

If you have not visited the Outer Banks in North Carolina, Karen Dodd's book is so descriptive that you will feel you are there. She explores the relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter and how it grows during the granddaughter's summer visit to Nelson Island. This is a "feel good" book that I enjoyed and, I believe, other readers would also.

A layman needs a good guide when on tour of a new territory, whether that be a museum, a literary genre, or a country's heritage. In David Pearson's and Les Beletsky's 485 page ECUADOR and its GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, they present a book that is as good a guide as a layman could hope for, not just for exploring Ecuador or its Galapagos Islands, but for getting to know much of the fauna of Amazonian Latin America. The text is professionally written, yet down to earth and not infrequently humorous. The famous entomologist J. Henri Fabre once wrote, "Others again have reproached me with my style, which has not the solemnity, nay, better, the dryness of the schools. They fear lest a page that is read without fatigue should not always be the expression of the truth. Were I to take their word for it, we are profound only on condition of being obscure." This approach to scientific writing - being informative without being pedantic - allows writers like Pearson and Beletsky to fill the reader's heart with wonder while still often bringing a smile to his/her face.

With Ecuador being one of the most biologically diverse countries on earth, it is impossible to create a book that is both comprehensive and brief. The authors have gone for middle ground, covering the portion of Ecuadorian wildlife that is of interest and/or likely to be spotted by the ecotraveller to Ecuador. There are 96 color plates (with 5-6 animals illustrated on each one), several pages of color photographs, an excellent chapter - with maps - of Ecuador's National Parks and Bioreserves, a section on Ecuador's geography and habitats (e.g., Lowland Wet Forest, Mangrove and Coastal Vegetation) along with drawings illustrating several major plants in these regions, and 200 pages of animal descriptions under the headings 'Amphibians', 'Reptiles', 'Birds', 'Mammals', 'Insects & Other Arthropods', and 'Galapagos Wildlife'.

As an Ecuadorian resident, I have found this guide to be an excellent aid to identifying and understanding the natural history of the country. The book was both informative and fun to read, and I can highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about this wonderful area of the world.

I have just returned from those Enchanted Isles and found Beletsky's guide omnipresent, dog-eared and tightly clutched in the sea-salted hands of many a visitor. I am surprised that the Sea Lions and Blue Footed Boobies did not have their own copies!

This guide is a truly indispensible accessory for those fortunate enough to have visited those Islands of wonder and enchantment. It is also a great whetter of one's appetite! Other books have their strengths, but when push comes to shove, or in this case just going around..., one wants a thorough compliment to one's naturalist (to make all those notations when one gets back home, of course) and also a look into what is to come. Accurate and beautifully illustrated.

I love this book it is so good. The second I picked up this book I could not put it down. It is very inspiring I have to saw that. You will love it I promise you. It is about a girl who goes on vacation and flyes to the wrong island then she meets this boy that has leprosy and has been band from his tribe. He tries to help her get away from the island but keeps running into dead ends. Finally she gets off but I won't tell you how.

The Escape from Jungle Island, book #3 of the Commander Kellie and the Superkids Adventures is one of the best books I have ever read. My mom and I read it together. It keeps you in suspense throughout the entire story. There are some really funny parts and some really scary parts. You never know what to expect. Valerie goes on vacation to see her parents with her friend Rapper in the SuperCraft. On the way, the NME Frightcraft shot them down on Jungle Island. Valerie went for a walk while Rapper fixed the SuperCraft and got lost. She met a boy who had leprosy and was banished from his village. Their adventures while trying to get Valerie to Calypso Island were really awesome! It was really exciting how they were able to witness to the villagers and Valerie was able to overcome fear. I highly recommend this and all the Superkids adventures to children of all ages and their parents. It is a fun read-aloud book.

Experiencing Dominion: Culture, Identity, And Power In The British Mediterranean by Thomas W. Gallant (Professor of Greek History, University of Florida) is scholarly and historical survey revealing the anthropological, cultural, and social ramifications of British influence on Greece and the Ionian Islands, especially during the nineteenth century. From legal cases of slander, to the conflicts of religion and identity, and much more, Experiencing Dominion is an evenhanded and highly recommended study of historical events offering a wealth of thoughtful insights into the evolution of Greek and Ionian society.

Experiencing Dominion: Culture, Identity, And Power In The British Mediterranean by Thomas W. Gallant (Professor of Greek History, University of Florida) is scholarly and historical survey revealing the anthropological, cultural, and social ramifications of British influence on Greece and the Ionian Islands, especially during the nineteenth century. From legal cases of slander, to the conflicts of religion and identity, and much more, Experiencing Dominion is an evenhanded and highly recommended study of historical events offering a wealth of thoughtful insights into the evolution of Greek and Ionian society.