Iowa Books

Jere took me into his mind and heart with this beautifully written book. The short stories and poems are entertaining, thoughtful, heartwarming and genuine.

This is one of the best tree identification books I have ever seen. Excellent pictures of foliage, form, leaves and branch structure.
Very informative and even though it was published in 1990, it's still relevant.

It would be hard to improve on this work. The reader will enjoy Rothgebs in-depth account of his war time experiences in the states and overseas. Student pilots should enjoy his lighter moments in pilot training flying taildraggers. His meeting in theater with notables including Lindbergh, and ace Richard Bong is also detailed. Thanks to Lindbergh pilots learned to lean their fuel mixture to extend their range and total flying time. Combat flying the P38, P47, and then a C47 "Gooney Bird" one learns how versatile and just plain gutsy these pilots are. Rothgeb was truly "a man amongst men". We owe them all a great debt.

This book is a great resource for journalists who cover health issues and report on research studies and statistics. It is also a useful tool for classroom instruction.

I admit to a prejudice in evaluating this book, as I've known James M. Neal throughout his long career, from reporter to editor to professor of journalism -- he's my father. But even from that perspective, I find the work astonishing. Dad's clear, direct, no-nonsense style isn't just a teaching technique, it's an example of excellent newswriting in itself. This is no pedantic, academic work -- this is the same Jim Neal who took me to work with him at the Daily Oklahoman when I was only twelve, and taught me how to write headlines under deadlines. This text is as close as a student will ever get to having Dad's thirty years of hectic experience in daily newspaper journalism somehow injected into the veins (and adrenal glands) in one quick shot. The book is also superb entertainment for the non-journalist who wants insight into how professional newsmen think. I'd recommend it for that, alone.

Writer Mallory's mystery weekend turns out to be a bit more of a challenge than he'd expected. He thinks he'll participate in a weekend of fun and mystery games. On the first night, however, Mallory is gazing out the window and sees a brutal murder. He raises the alarm but the body can't be found! The game goes on as planned, with everyone thinking that what Mallory saw was part of the game. Mallory isn't convinced, though, and he soon finds proof that what he saw was real. A blizzard hits and players and guests are trapped in at Mohonk Mountain House. With a killer? It would seem so!

This is an imaginative story full of suspense and twists. Hero Mallory is Sam Spade with a typewriter.

I bought this book for my recent foray down to Des Moines for a conference. On the way home, I took a cornfield tour guided by Jerome Pohlen's fun book. Try it, you & your kids &/or whoever you're travelling with will love it!

After Des Moines, (Hey! Pohlen doesn't include this in the tour - but if you are ever in DM the evening before the start of the Iowa State Fair - (think Pat Boone & the movie) you just HAVE to watch the State Fair Kick-Off Parade. 3 Hours of Americana - not a rose-decked float to be found - but there are plenty of High School marching bands and gubernatorial candidates, and lots and lots of John Deere tractors. Makes ya hanker for a corn dog!) I went on to the Amana Colonies, the movie set for "The Field of Dreams" - Kevin Costner & Company Built it - and the people are still coming!, and cantered the cornfield - actually it's planted in soybeans this year, the corn is on the other side of the barb wire - where Richie Valens, the Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly's plane went down, as Don McLean later called it, "the (Night) the Music Died" - to see the Memorial. (You'll need this book to find that - it is literally off the beaten path.)
Awesome - all of it!
/TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer

This book takes the reader for a ride through 20th century Minnesota and "Iowa's Great Lakes." Sprinkled with charm, history, and Midwest Americana, nuggets of insight and wit are awaiting the reader; but, I am intrigued by those puppets. They are introduced at the beginning of the story and then disappear until they bring a delightful ending twist -- I only fear they have gone! Returned to New Orleans as they had threatened. I met the author and inquired of them but he didn't say if they were still around. Maybe he is waiting for them to return -- perhaps, they are waiting for him to return to them!

The stories in 'Old Wives Tales' are notable for their depth, attention to detail, and variety. Dodd's characters are real and her writing is rich and difficult to put down. One of the best collections of short stories I've read

This book is an excellent collection of the lives of important botanists throughout time. Part biography and part vignette makes for enjoyable reading. This resource was primarily used for an Academic Decathlon competition but I found it enjoyable enough to peruse some of the other botanists I found intriguing. The essays are short enough that you can just skip around to whoever strikes your fancy.