Books to read if you're planning a vacation in "Wetzel", sorted by average review score:
Victory Gardens & Barrage Balloons: A Collective Memoir
Published in Hardcover by Perry Pub (August, 1995)
Average review score: 
Thanks for the great memories of growing up in BremertonThough 4 years younger than the author, Frank Wetzel, I knew many of the people he talked about in Victory Gardens & Barrage Balloons and experienced many of the same places and events he writes about. The girl used as the model on the cover lived not too far away from my family during WWII. I would definitely recommend this book for all Bremertonians but especially those living there between 1930 and 1945. Others may enjoy it as well
Washington Post: 1/30/96Former editor Harwood of The Post has written a 3-page review of the book in the health section re: the importance of oral history. Good reading
A collective memoir of Bremerton, WA residents during WW IIThe following text is from the back jacket of the book:
World War II changed everything. For a kid growing up in Kitsap County (Washington) it meant living at the focal point of the war. It was to Puget Sound Navy Yard that the ghosts of Pearl Harbor returned for repair and renovation. It was a time of astonishing unity and common purpose. For Frank Wetzel and his contemporaries, these years were formative. Look back with them as they recall . . . . Victory Gardens and Barrage Balloons. A history of Bremerton and Kitsap County during World War II.
Frank Wetzel was born in Bremerton, Washington in 1926, the grandson of Kitsap County pioneers. He graduated from Bremerton High in 1944 and the University of Washington in 1950. He was an infantryman in Europe in World War II and an infantry officer in the Korean War.
He worked as a newsman and executive for the Associated Press in Salt Lake City, Denver, and Portland, OR. He was editor of the Journal-American in Bellevue, Washington from 1977-1986 and was the ombudsman of the Seattle Times from 1987 to 1990. This is his first book.
Attention's Loop: A Sculptor's Reverie on the Coexistence of Substance and Spirit
Published in Hardcover by Harry N Abrams (01 April, 1999)
Average review score:
A truly original modern artistMs. King is not only a great artist but an original thinker. Her sculptures, mechanical self-portraits fashioned from wood and metal, are amazingly realistic and beautiful yet at the same time a step beyond reality. As a craftsman, she is truly gifted with her hands. As a writer, she is able to examine the fields of history, philosophy, and science through the lens of her art and make us rethink the meaning of the human brain and senses. Especially fascinating was her research into the history of the homunculus.
As an added bonus, the book is beautifully designed (even won an award for book design).
Crystaline rompA crystalline romp reflecting tension and reverie involved in the creation of that which is in our image. King's prose is elegant, pithy, never prolix, illuminating topics from the Golem to ETA Hoffman's Olympia while passing on the way thorough Jacquard's loom and Vaucanson's creations.
Throughout this shimmering work are dispersed aching photographs of King's Pupil, a jointed movable sculpture; her Galetea, who seems, at any moment, about to spring to life.
I without reservation recommend this work to anyone interested in the creation of works in the image of "Man," from sculptors to professors of AI.
Elementary Particle Physics: Concepts and Phenomena (Texts and Monographs in Physics)
Published in Hardcover by Springer Verlag (August, 1990)
Average review score:
Nachtmann's Elementary Particle physicsThis out-of-print book deserves to be reprinted and bought by everyone. It is a mathematical physics version of the popular books on elementary forces and elementary particles except gravitation: the electromagnetic, strong, and weak forces, which occur in quantum electrodynamics (QED), quantum chromdynamics (QCD), and quantum flavor dynamics (QFD) as well as the standard and and grand unified models. The reader without the mathematical background should buy the book and hire a good consultant or tutor to translate the book into almost ordinary English or even to teach the mathematics involved. The Editor and some other reviewers have commented on the easy to read bold face print. Most people do not realize how rare the use of easy to read print is in physics. It is more common in mathematics, thanks largely to Springer/Springer-Verlag publishers in Germany where Nachtmann is one of the outstanding physics algebraic theorists. Nachtmann emphasizes Lagrangian densities and the Hamiltonians and Least Action Principle related to them, which is one of the highest level and most effective concepts in all of science and mathematics and should be understood by people in other fields as well. I have argued elsewhere that Lagrangians are a fundamental mathematical logic basis of the universe (sort of a Kurt Godel type argument in physics - recall the prize-winning book Godel, Bach, and Escher), but Nachtmann's approach is algebraic and experimental.
Comprehensive yet indepth review of the subject.I have found this one of the most outstanding books in the field and particularly easy to teach out of. It would be marvellous to have an updated edition of the book and also a better index. I recommend it most strongly to beginners as well as experts.
Bert's Little Bedtime Story (Chunk Tales)
Published in Hardcover by Random House (Merchandising) (August, 1991)
Average review score:
great bedtime story for the little onesI bought this book for my daughter around 6 years ago and hung onto it for her future siblings. Good thing I did, it's one of the first books that my son listened to as opposed to chewing on. He is 19 months and insists on reading this twice a night before he will go to sleep, as well as several times throughout the day. It's a nice and simple little story that gives the reader a chance to do some of the character voices. It's short and to the point, long enough for a little one, but not too long. It's a good size for little hands to grasp, with soothing yet colorful pictures.
Bridge Over the River: After Death Communications of a Young Artist Who Died in World War I
Published in Paperback by Anthroposophic Press (December, 1995)
Average review score:
Genuine spiritual communicationI read this book the first time many years ago and was deeply moved and affected by it then. Reading it again, now, several decades later I became aware of how incredibly significant it is. The young artist whose thoughts are received by his sister and recorded by her, shows himself to be a deeply caring person who is given permission to convey information about the life after death that is astonishingly clear, precise and helpful. The straightforwardness of his ideas, the deep concern he shows for us, who are trying so desparately to understand our condition and the way he expresses his feelings about his experiences make it clear that this is a genuine communication. It is brought to us with love and without any hint of the vagueness or flowery language of some sources. Be prepared to have your mind illuminated and your soul nourished.
Candlewick : The Jewel of Imperial (Book II)
Published in Paperback by Mary Wetzel-Tomalka (January, 1995)
Average review score:
It's Chuck who put the candle in 'candlewick!'It's simply the best! Better than all the rest! Candlewick mom and pa know their stuff.
Deadly Arts (Avalon Mystery)
Published in Hardcover by Thomas Bouregy & Co (24 August, 1997)
Average review score:
One of the Greatest Murder Mysteries I've read.This book is by my grandmother so, naturally, I thought it was great. But even if I wasn't so close to her, I'd still think it was an excellent book. She is a great author and I hope to follow in her footsteps one day. Love ya, Grandma Wetzel!!!!
Financial Accounting: A Business Perspective (8th Edition)
Published in Textbook Binding by Authors Academic Press (May, 2002)
Average review score:
Thorough, clean explanationsFinancial Accounting is a difficult subject and Hermanson and Edwards do a very good job at bringing it down to the "understandable" level. They offer a multitude of ways to learn subject matter: from text, to graphs, to problems, to internet research (with web sites to visit) to real-world examples.
Fit to Be Tried: A Program for Lifetime Fitness
Published in Paperback by Lindsay Pr (December, 1996)
Average review score:
ExcellentThis book provides a wealth of information to all interested in physical fitness. It really cuts to the core of what makes up a sound and well balanced exercise program. Highly recommended.
Mind Games: The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy
Published in Paperback by Delmar Learning (07 December, 1999)
Average review score: 
Our Views On Mind Games, The Aging Brain and Its HealthWe both read the entire book and did the exercises which are challenging and really give your brain a workout, and some of them can be done while driving. It seemed to be saying the brain needs exercise regularly to keep it healthy just as the body does, and the book contains numberless exercises. There is something in it for everyone.
I loved this book!The authors blended together (in eloquent prose) concepts, strategies, and techniques to sharpen the mind. This book is not merely one to read, but a book to study and review periodically. It contains valuable information that one needs, and should know about the human brain. The authors did their research and it shows. They combined substance, style, and wit in presenting their imformation in a manner that makes the material "unforgettable". If you are looking for a gift that just about anyone can benefit from, this is it! It was a terrific gift I gave myself!
An Outstanding BookThis book has provided the most interesting games and exercises for practice and entertainment. It has accomplished the goal of inspiring me to continue such activities to keep my aging brain healthy. Positive results from having read it are already noticed. However, this book is more than a book of games. The chapters which involve the development, styles of learning, and processes of the brain are presented in most understandable an dmeaningful ways.