Florida Books

I think it's one of the best action thrillers of the past year. Singerman takes his story around the world from the end of WWII to present, with an array of interesting characters all of whom will interlock with at least one other as the story builds to its exciting conclusion.

In 1945 a woman is murdered in Austria. Solomon Kessler picks up an album of concentration camp photos her killers sought. Fifty years later an Argentine assassin kills CID Special Agent Stan Erland. Erland's boss McKenzie Rockett and Angela Becker are on the case. Erland had also been investigating the execution style murder of psychic Leo Weiser who, it happens, was Soloman Kessler living under a new identity.

Angela, an ex-model who grew up wealthy, now a cop and part-time social worker who loves fast cars, is an all around great character. Rockett brings in Roland Troy, ex-homicide detective and martial arts pro with a complicated past to team up with Angela, and a great partnership is formed.

Leo's wife Justine tells Angela that Leo had recently spotted someone from his past. Before Angela knows it, the reader realizes Leo saw Novac DuCharme, a super rich white supremacist who was a sadistic concentration camp guard in 1945.

At the halfway point another force comes into the story, Chotoku Nakama a.k.a. Bassai, an Asian warlord who nursed Roland Troy to health after an incident in Viet Nam. An Iranian arms dealer comes to Bassai offering a shipment intended for DuCharme, and Bassai takes an action that lets Troy know he's around if he needs him.

After 280 pages the bang-bang pace suddenly drifts to something more serene. Troy goes back to Vermont. Then Leo's widow Justine reappears, and things start back up. It builds to an exciting conclusion, a little more violence than necessary, but overall a great action story tying past and present together in a well balanced, exciting finale.

Boynton Beach Fl. U.S.A. I couldn't put it down until I finished. The places and people kept me going from page to page. Good luck and lets see more of this type of stories soon.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS

This book is a must-read. One of the best I've come across this year, and I do read a lot. Singerman has a nice, easy style. This work is a page-turner. The story, the characters, and the locales are all believable. I'm hoping the wait for his next book won't be too long.

See story summary above.

I was hooked from page one! This book has everything I like. Suspense, thrills, international locales, and most of all a writing style that fits the story. Story includes old nazis mixed in with international business, psychics, and small town life in the florida swamps. Unusual characters and unique settings set this thrller apart from most others. One Problem though....The art and design of the cover was terrible. It made it look like a dime store mystery, when it was anything but. I truly am looking forward to Singerman's next novel.

Highly recommended.

Wow! I loved this book it had everything,suspense,romance and lots of action.From the very first chapter I was taken away to another world and I became Angela Becker. Philip Singerman drew me in and kept me there over the entire holiday. I relish a book that has the power to alter my life. Singerman must be a publishers dream. I hope he will be encouraged to make a series following Proof Positive.

I can't believe how close I came to missing out on this wonderful book. I checked it out of the library and started reading it the day it was due, thinking, "I'll give it a page, then it's outtahere." I paid the late fee. Ziegler has created in Annie Bartlett one of the most poignant, hilarious and beautifully crafted characters I have ever met and plunks her down in a setting so seductive, nostalgic and rich I can't wait to go back there to breathe underwater again, and experience Annie's imagined transformation into a mermaid. Not only did I buy this book for myself, but I'm buying it as gifts from now on. And to think I almost gave it back.

Irene Zeigler's "Rules of the Lake" is written with a clean, simple style which goes hand in hand with the subjects the author has chosen. More elaborate prose would spoil the rural nature of these stories, and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings did something similar in "Cross Creek." But unlike Rawlings, Ms. Zeigler's narrative never becomes precious. It's a look into the past from a contemporary and adult perspective. The stories involve Annie, a preteen girl living on a lake in rural Florida. Annie watches her older sister, Leigh, experiencing adolescent angst, only to find herself suddenly facing it as well. Annie and Leigh's father is a central figure, equally charming and inept in both his relationships with his daughters and his various brainstorms which rarely amount to anything.

My favorite of the 13 stories is "The Raft," and its companion piece, "The Stranger." In these two tales, Ms. Ziegler fascinates her readers with a balance of power between the sexes. In "The Raft," Annie challenges a neighbor boy, Petey, to a swimming race. If she loses, she agrees to strip naked for him. Annie knows that she is more than capable of beating Petey, and so totally controls him. Yet she remains vulnerable to the siren song of compassion and sexual attraction. Ms. Zeigler creates a situation that is filled with feminine power, yet allows Aniie to give young Petey a thrill that's both visceral and vicarious at the same time. In "The Stranger," she subtly shifts the balance of power in Petey's favor. Now more mature, Petey is in far more control of Annie than in the previous story. But after a short time in her presence, she has a palpable impact. By the end of the story, they have a whole new relationship that's built on the foundation of the old and a promise for the future.

In its sensory details, Rules of the Lake recreates an earlier, largely undeveloped Central Florida. There's a backyard lake and an undiscovered natural spring. The pre-Disney tourist attractions are tacky. And in orange groves and the pleasures of fishing and walking barefoot, Irene's Ziegler's stories of childhood take the reader to a Florida that is now much harder to find. And, if that's all there was to the book, it would still be a pretty good read. But into this Florida Ziegler puts Annie Bartlett. To discover her is to rediscover the experience of being a child. Annie longs to be one of the popular girls with an ache that will make the reader relive terrible preadolescence. She longs to be loved by her father. She longs to understand adult mysteries that are as elusive as the shadows that swim in the backyard lake. And if the stories stopped there they'd be well worth reading. But of course there's more. The thread that holds together the stories and the images of Florida and Annie is the author's voice. It's a great voice. Sometimes it speaks in kid-real dialect and inner thoughts and sometimes it changes mid-sentence to deliver a zinger. Sometimes it's poetry. I saved my reading of Rules of the Lake for late evening just before sleep, and always closed the book with the "Ah!" of discovery.

I always know I've really enjoyed a book when I don't want it to end, as is the case with this book. I still want to know more about Annie's childhood and what happens to her as an adult. Ms. Ziegler's writing style is very real--she describes the tragedy and comedy of human nature in a down-to-Earth way. My very favorite story is about Annie's quest to become a Girl Scout. I laughed but also felt her pain. I hope Ms. Ziegler comes out with another book soon. I'll volunteer to be one of the first to read it. Thanks for taking me back to my own childhood.

I love this book.

When I finished it, I closed the book, took a deep breath, then opened it and read the prologue again: ("When my sister, Leigh, was in junior high and still enamored of Widow Lake, and I was in fourth grade and still enamored of Leigh...") I forced myself to put it down, and to wait a few days before reading it again. I am in the middle of my second reading as I write this.

Irene Ziegler has managed to bring to life the developing pre-adolescent Annie in such a delightful way. (One suspects that Ziegler was once a developing pre-adolescent girl herself, and that she was paying close attention to her feelings during that time.) She has a gift.

I normally read fast. But this book is a Slow Read. I felt the need to slow down, and to savor each sentence, each phrase, as I read it.

("Leigh?" I said through my tears. She drew near, her face close to mine. "Take me with you," I whispered, and in the single tear that moved in a slow, erratic path down her cheek, I saw my lonely, wounded self reflected.)

Thank you, Irene Ziegler. I love this book.

It is difficult to describe all the reasons one might be taken in by this story about necrophilia, but it is a wonderful read indeed. Insightful and hilarious, creepy and serious all at the same time. The protagonist, Warren Piece (pun intended, like many of the other names, puns and pranks in this book), pushes and pulls the reader in his quest for loving the dead. Imagine a cross between Ignatius O'Reilly from Confederacy of the Dunces, Ben Flesh from The Franchiser, a dash of Dorothy Parker and a frolic through Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents. I love this book!

Excellent! I couldn't put this book down until it's done. With its dark humor about human nature and their tastes for oddities.
Mr. Bent has hit the spot about a person's shocking love of dead people.

This book is beyond sick and distrubing (especially the detailed descriptions of the main character's post mortem [nec]romances). It is also one of the funniest, sharpest, wittiest books I have ever read. Love him or hate him, the main character's observation of the living is just as detailed and on the money as those of the dead. This book is not for the week-stomached. If you like the dark humor of "Six Feet Under", you'll dig this novel. Cannot recommend it enough!

Don't let the cover of this book fool you! This COMEDIC novel is the "bizarrest-of-the-bizarre" and is the only book I have ever read that has actually made me LAUGH OUTLOUD. With Warren Piece (pun intended) as the Protagonist, "Silent Partners" is a guaranteed escape from the fast-paced world of our everyday life. Put your nose in it and read it.

Wow! As wild as I thought, but funnier than I expected. This book is like nothing else. I tell my friends I really enjoyed reading about a guy who makes love to dead people, and they think I'm crazy. You have to read it to understand what I mean.

I am so impressed with this Junior League Cookbook! As everyone else says, it is beautiful, but the recipes is what makes it even more appealing to me. You will find the recipes in categories such as:
Appetizers and Beverages, Breads and Brunch, Soups and Salads, Side Dishes and Vegetables, Entrees, Seafood, and Desserts. It has 191 Pages of Scrumptious Recipes such as: Miniature Pastry Shells with Shrimp, Stuffed Mushrooms, Country Ham Rolls, Green Chili Bites, Blue Cheese Biscuits, Chili Bacon Breadsticks, Smoked Salmon Spread, Crab Cheese Dip, Black Bean Dip, Mango Salsa, Hot Mocha White Chocolate, Chocolate Cherry Banana Bread, Blueberry Bread, Mexican Corn Bread, Bacon Cheddar Scones, Almond Coffe Cake, Macadamia Banana French Toast, Artichoke Quiche, Crustless Crab Quiche, Basil Breakfast Strata, Breakfast Pizza, Cheesy Hash Browns, Homemade Granola, Mediterranean Seafood Stew, Pasta Fagioli, Chicken Corn Chowder, Chicken Lime Chili, Wild Rice Shrimp Salad, Cobb Pasta Salad, Asian Chicken Pasta Salad, Summer Corn and Black Bean Salad, Wasabi Potato Salad, Barley and Mushroom Casserole, Corn Souffle, Ratatouille, Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini, Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Mexican Chicken, Turkey Stroganoff, Shredded Pork, Bodacious Blue Cheese Burgers, Lemon Shrimp Casserole, Linguini and Clams, Baked Tilapia with Vegetables, Lemon Stuffed Baked Trout, Kahlua Cake, Molten Chocolate Cakes, Pumpkin Cake Roll, Cream Cheese Pound Cake, Iced Pound Cake with Chocolate Filling, Kahlua Brownies, and so much more! This is such an Excellent Cookbook, and if you have a chance to pick one up, I would definitely do it! It is worth every penny! You just can't go wrong on this Junior League Cookbook!

I think this book is the most beautiful cookbook I have ever seen. The organization of the cookbook is so helpful. My favorite part is the beautiful photographs from the area, as well as the helpful hints to cooking at the bottom of the pages.

Not only are the pictures gorgeous but it actually has recipes that are easy to prepare and look like you spent all day in the kitchen. A wonderful gift for all of your family and friends. Everything we have tried is absolutely delicious and your guests will leave wanting the recipes. This cookbook is one you can definitely use for years to come.

Just like the title says, the recipes in this book are simple, yet creative. I'm not a gourmet cook, but these wonderful recipes can make others think I am. I have a nice collection of League cookbooks and this may be the most beautiful, visually, and is certainly one of the best for variety of recipes. I've had success with a couple of desserts already and have made selections to serve on Christmas Day. Highly recommended and a great gift idea too.

If you collect cookbooks, this may be your favorite too. The pictures are frame-worthy, but the recipes are what keeps this book off my coffee table and in my kitchen.

I think our government has lost all touch with "Main Street" and has no clue of the problems caused by too much regulation and high taxes. This book should be required reading for all government employees.

Matt Falconer has done an incredible public service by authoring this summary of the horrors of doing business with all types of government in Florida today.

Mostly based on first-hand experience, Matt offers insight into both the myriad problems and creative solutions for today's government behemoth. He offers a challenge to which all good pubic servants should respond.

A quick read crammed full of data and real-life anecdotes at a critical time in Florida's life!

Doug Doudney

Matt Falconer has given voice to the frustrations of thousands of us who've had to fight the bureaucracy to get anything done. Florida is falling off a cliff right now and legislators have done nothing to rein in spending. Government is the only growth industry left as many of us have been predicting. Government cannot grow faster than the tax base without consequences. Read this book and give it to all your sane friends for Xmas. Keep this from happening in your state.

This guy's right on. It's a wonderful book and should be required reading for anyone from 14 years old and up.It's too bad that Mr. Falconer is not running for President instead of the choices that we currently have.
Richard Lee

Few individuals have as much first-hand experience with government mismanagement as Matt Falconer.

Falconer's book chronicles government nonsense on a variety of levels. Most shocking is his experience trying to create jobs in a poor, under-developed area in Gainesville.

Instead of welcoming Matt with open-arms, the local government used every trick in the book to keep jobs and prosperity our of their community. This is despite the fact that Falconer was trying to develop in an 'economic development zone!'

Best of all, Falconer offers realistic solutions to the problems created by government.

Buy two copies of this book. One for you, and one for an elected official!

I was charmed by the characters, the feeling of the Keys, the sparkling dialogue. Cant wait for the next DINAH -- please hurry up!
A bargain -- and a good read, too.

I read Barbara Arau's novel in nearly one sitting because I loved it! The dialog is so authentic and the people so believeable (maybe she knew people like this???) She had me laughing throughout. My only comment to the contrary is that, as a 300-pounder myself, weight shouldn't necessarily be a hinge for humor.

Someone's in the Kitchen With Dinah is a great "whodunnit".
Humphrey Bogart's "Key Largo" is the setting for this adventure on fictitious Webb Key. It's well written with subtle clues that keep you guessing! I was unable to put it down because I just HAD to discover who the real villian was.
Barbara Arau has an uncanny ability to put you in the shoes of her protagonist; you can smell the ocean, see the palm trees, the docks, the boats...her descriptions really transport you to the Florida Keys. I think it would be a wonderful movie: a fast paced nail biter during the hurricaine scene. Get it. You won't be disappointed.

I couldn't put it down. A real page-turner. One of the most entertaining books I've ever read. I definately would like to read more from this author. Very sexy!!

I loved this book! The zany characters were a delight, albeit a bit "off-the-wall" (not unlike reality in the Keys...) and truly kept you guessing. As a native Floridian, I have experienced many hurricanes. I can tell you with absolute certainty that I would not want to be stranded on the Keys during one of these Big Blows. This of course, only added to the suspense and intrigue. A very good read. I hope there will be more of the same, forthcoming from this Author.

A most fabulous and descriptive book about South Beach Art Deco. The photography is beautiful and each page is a treasure and a pleasure to enjoy!

I regularly vacation in Miami Beach and LOVE visiting South Beach with its pastel deco buildings, pristine beaches, beautiful people, trendy restaurants and open-till-dawn night clubs. I just finished reading South Beach Deco: Step by Step, and I have a new appreciation for my favorite vacation spot! The author, Iris Chase, really knows her town from the inside out. And the photos are absolutely beautiful! The next time I travel south, I will definitely have this book in my suitcase! This terrific book is a must! Have fun travelers!

I visited South Beach recently and was at a loss of what to bring back as gifts for special friends. "South Beach Deco, Step by Step" was perfect. I got one for myself so I didn't have to take a lot of photos because this book has a great variety of pictures, many of the Art Deco Hotels which were a highlight of my trip. Aside from the great visuals, the text gave me all I needed to know to have a great time; it was like a companion who filled me in on everything - - the best things to see, the coolest places to eat and where to just relax and enjoy the scene. The book made me comfortable that I wasn't missing out on something ("what you didn't see..."). There are also some fun maps that are easy to read. All in all, an A+ and something I pick up and look at because its interesting and beautiful, and reminds me I want to go back to South
Beach.

If you really want a book of color photos, get Iris Chase's new book South Beach Deco: Step By Step. Susan Russell took an amazing amount of great photos of South Beach.

Iris is the resident artist at the Art Deco Welcome Center smack in the middle of Ocean Drive and as she says it is "Miami Beach Art Deco 101."

She's written an easy-to-read good introductory text that lays out all of the areas, describes the fun aspects of hangin' out at The Beach, and has a modest bit of history. It's large size 8 1/2" x 11" makes it a big large to carry around but having it before hand will make it easier to find a hotel and figure out the sights and things you might want to do while there. And after you come home it will have all of the wonderful photos to help jog your memory.

South Beach Deco: Step By Step is for anyone who wants to remember SoBe as it is today (2005).

I am a world-wide traveler and have a large collection of guidebooks that I usually purchase prior to taking trips. I purchased 'South Beach Deco,Step By Step' after I visited Miami Beach because it made me feel good about the times I had there and supplied information that I will use on future trips to South Beach. Ordinarily I skim a book until I find a particular area of interest, but I found myself reading this book straight through. It is fun to read and so informative at the same time. I loved the explanations of what tropical deco is, and I enjoyed gazing at the photos that are quite plentiful and vibrant. There is nothing boring about this book and it just makes me want to return to that part of the world as soon as possible. 'South Beach Deco, Step By Step' leaves the other books I have read on this area in the dust (or perhaps I should say sand). The reason being is that it has an excellent balance of information-- just enough history so that it never becomes boring, a sufficient but not overwhelming amount of recommendations so that it is not confusing, easy to understand definitions,and a smattering of humor which makes one smile. I will take it with me on my next visit.

Caribbean foods and their recipes are versatile and different. I have tried many Caribbean recipes but this book had some more surprises for me. I like this book because it has some very nice recipes, has some interesting inforomation about the recipes and background to them and they are pretty simple to make. Recipes I have tried are" chicken in lime sauce (9.6/10); butternut squash in lime (9.4/10); fried tomatoes (9.4/10); banana grumby (9.4/10)Singapore scallops (9.6/10); curry tuna creole (9.4/10). I have many more to try (there are 350 recipes). You'll be glad you will have tried some of the recipes of your choice.

Having lived in the Caribbean, I am hard to please when it comes to our dishes...they have to taste "just right" and be authentic. This cookbook definitely has many recipies that are very familiar to me. True island cooking at its best! You will not be disappointed with this purchase. Gwaan an enjoy it!

My wife loves the fact that I like to cook. Our kitchen shelves are filled with cookbooks and most have a few recipes that I like. Tropic Cooking is one that I consistently use and everyone, including my kids, loves the results.

The Florida Avocado Dip is wonderful, I usually leave off the olives though.

Pork Chops Negril is a sweet treat that just takes a few minutes to create. It's perfect for an evening when you're strapped for time.

Potatoes Bonaventure is always a hit at pot lucks, I think it's the pastrami that catches peoples attention as well as tickles their tastbuds.

If you can get fresh ripe tomatoes that don't taste like cardboard then one of these two recipes are wonderful.

Broiled Tomatoes with Mushroom Bits.

Fried Tomatoes.

I wish I was more of a dessert person because some of these sound wonderful. Cicely's Baked Bananas was an experiment once for a dessert party and it was very well received. I took home an empty plate which is always a good sign.

I highly recommend Tropic Cooking!

I have a libary of cookbooks and "Tropic Cooking" is the one I constantly use.

Love this cookbook. Recipes are from the Caribbean, as well as a number of Florida's best restaurants. I use this book all the time and have for years. It's fun!

It was very knowledgeable. Told about most of the activities going on in Tampa and St. Petersburg.

A full update of this guidebook, previously called the Adventure Guide to Florida's West Coast. This book takes in all the cities, towns, nature preserves, wilderness areas and sandy beaches that grace the Sunshine State's western shore. Covers Tampa Bay to Naples and Everglades National Park to Sanibel Island. Canoeing the Everglades, hiking on Gasparilla Island, exploring the history of Tampa's Ybor City - it's all here! Plus it has good town and regional maps.

"These useful guides are highly recommended... " Library Journal "[Adventure Guides] direct you away from the theme parks and into the great outdoors... the information on trekking routes, canoeing, wildlife refuges - even golf courses - is well researched." The Sunday Telegraph "...intended for the adventure-minded travelers with special affection for the outdoors and nature. Each Adventure Guide packs in outdoor-oriented activities set in different regions. There's something for nearly everyone." Midwest Book Review

"This second edition of Walton's comprehensive guide... is a must for visitors." Bon Voyage

Chelle Koster Walton's third edition of Tampa Bay & Florida's West Coastis out, and it updates all the basics on accommodations, restaurants, natural areas and historic sites alike. This adventure-oriented guide outlines the best in inland and water trips, includes museums and shopping, and provides an outdoor focus and budget-minded focus which will appeal to trip planners.

A full update of this popular guidebook, previously called the Adventure Guide to Florida's West Coast. This book takes in all the cities, towns, nature preserves, wilderness areas and sandy beaches that grace the Sunshine State's western shore. Covers Tampa Bay to Naples and Everglades National Park to Sanibel Island. Canoeing the Everglades, hiking on Gasparilla Island, exploring the history of Tampa's Ybor City - it's all here!

A co-worker asked me what this book was about. At the time, I was about 150 pages into the book...I looked at her and was stunned to realize that i could not describe this book with only one summary. This book is about a lot of things and depending on what you take from it, may find more stories within than I did. What a great deal ! Normally,I would have had to buy 3 or 4 books to get the content I did out of this one.

After just a few pages you begin to feel for Jackie Brooks. He is a boy trying desperately to grow into a man, but with bad decisions and lack of guidance he lives a life many of us have or would have fallen into. You find yourself wanting to reach out to Jackie in the same way others have done in our lives. You will see yourself thru Jackies eyes, some of us were just lucky. Some of us were not so lucky. All of us have experienced the UNFAIRNESS of the world around us. Jackie brings this world and it's tribulations home to our very souls.

This is a compelling story about one boy's struggle to escape a dysfunctional home life. However through the influence of a friend, he was catapulted into a life of petty crime. Rather than finding a better life, young Jackie instead served a prison term. This book catalogs Jackie's trials through lost love and free life after the gate bangs shut. After his prison term, Jackie goes on the road to end his inner turmoil and finally find freedom. The style of this book resembles that of the talented Jack Keroauc in his famous novel,"On the Road". The audience will be engaged with the author's adept use of local color and the unforgettable characters he created. Can't wait for more from this very promising new author.

This is a compelling story about one boy's struggle to escape a dysfunctional home life. However through the influence of a friend, he was catapulted into a life of petty crime. Rather than finding a better life, young Jackie instead served a prison term. This book catalogs Jackie's trials through lost love and free life after the gate bangs shut. After his prison term, Jackie goes on the road to end his inner turmoil and finally find freedom. The style of this book resembles that of the talented Jack Keroauc in his famous novel,"On the Road". The audience will be engaged with the author's adept use of local color and the unforgettable characters he created. Can't wait for more from this very promising new author.

This is the story of the coming of age of Jackie Brooks. All Jackie wants at age fourteen is to leave his unhappy home where his father is a drunk and his mother is bedridden. One day he tells his classmate of his plans to leave and is offered the opportunity to score enough money to leave home--by breaking into a local gas station and breaking into the safe there after hours. The young boys are amateurs and leave fingerprints all over the office. Jackie is caught and sent to a reformatory while his partner is free---for awhile.

We follow Jackie's experiences in the reformatory and prison...then the gate bangs shut behind him as he leaves the prison for freedom...and a fascinating journey--both physically and spiritually.

An awesome first novel from a talented author!