Connecticut Books

This fine book held me in its grip from beginning to end. The writing is unobtrusive and I was lost in the lives of the characters, until I realised that something unexpected and subtle was being achieved: an examination of the fine line between love and decency, and the unacknowledged capacity for harm in us.

In the book The River Road by Karen Osborn, Kevin, a father says, "You think you know people, but when something like this happens, you really don't know anyone at all." Surely this new book by Karen Osborn clearly and unfortunately illustrates this point all too well.

The River Road, told from the point of view of the three main characters, immerses readers in the story of two brothers who are in love with their neighbor Kay. Friends since Kay moved into this rural Connecticut area, David and Kay become lovers during college leaving Michael out of their customary threesome. As younger children, the three of them played childhood games and survived the angst filled world of high school in part because of their strong ties to one another. But then a tragedy occurs leaving parents and these young adults to wonder what went wrong and what really happened. As the remainder of the book attempts to unravel the mystery and what led up to this tragedy, readers have a front row seat as family and friends become accusatory and introspective, The book, told partially through flashbacks culminates in an ending which depicts how individuals suffer after a tragedy and the indomitable spirit to survive and love again. Certainly for those who enjoyed The Pact by Jodi Picoult concerning teenage suicide, this book will serve as a comparison to the repercussions that can occur when young adults fall in love.

Previous to reading The River Road, I read Karen Osborn's second book, Between Earth and Sky, that was set in the late 1800's in New Mexico. Told in the form of letters by a woman pioneer to her family in Virginia, Osborn presents strong women characters and wonderful descriptions of the land. While she does an equally fine job in this book of describing the characters and description of rural Connecticut, The River Road is a much sadder and more intense book in comparison. One can only wonder how life can spiral so badly out of control for something like this to happen.

Kay Richards and brothers, David and Michael Sanderson have been friends since childhood. But one tragic night changes not only their lives, but the lives of their families and even the town they live in.

In one careless moment, a life is lost and nothing will ever be the same.

We get all sides of the story as it unfolds in alternating chapters told by Kay, Michael and Kevin (the boy's father). They all loved David and his death affects each in different ways. What first looks like an accident takes an unexpected turn and there's a police investigation and then a trial.

The verdict is riveting and so is this well written book.

In Crandall, Connecticut the Ehrlich family leads such a perfect American existence they even become featured in an issue of Southern Connecticut Life magazine. Libby owns and runs an antique business. Her spouse Peter is a highly regarded cardiac surgeon at Crandall General Hospital. They have two teenage daughters, sixteen years old Claudia and thirteen years old Ellery, who seem happy and are doing well.

However, their perfect lifestyle shatters when the parents return from a trip abroad to learn that their younger daughter is carrying the baby of the boyfriend of her older sister. All four Ehrlichs are forced to look closely at the relationships with one another and as a family because if Southern Connecticut Life magazine did a feature today they would find a shattered dysfunctional family leading the perfect American nightmare.

TWO DAUGHTERS is a look at how an event can destroy trust, commitment, and caring in what seemed like a devoted group. However, the problem with the story line is that Marlene Fanta Shyer tries to focus on too many major issues that could each stand on their own as the prime theme. Alcoholism or teenage pregnancy easily could have served as the key focus, but by using a shallow glance at each element, Ms. Shyer's novel fails to grip the audience. Libby's first hand account at times can be intriguing, but never quite pulls the audience into the deep emotional trench that the characters find almost impossible to escape.

Harriet Klausner

In this family saga we find the "perfect" family of Dr. Peter Ehrlich is the envy of everyone who knew them and as the unpredictable story unravels we find out that they have quite a few family secrets unknwown to outsiders.....Dr. Ehrlich is a prominent cardiologist and his wife, Libby has her own antique business in a small Connecticut town......The oldest daughter, 16 yr. old Claudia is a beautiful, bright girl, but does not always make the best choices in boyfriends. Her 13 yr. old sister, Ellery, not as pretty and not as bright, tries to grow up too fast because she envies her sister.....The secrets in this "perfect" family threatens to tear them apart and when the most outrages thing happens it throws them into turmoil....In the process of trying to correct things they lose friends, but Libby is the one, in the end, who pulls her family through, but not before the "secrets" are out in the open for everyone to know.... I belive that we are all human and do not always make the correct choices in our lives, but our families, in the end, can be great strengths to us and gives us the courage to change.......Good book.

This book really kept me turning the pages. I took it with me on vacation and it really enriched my trip. I couldn't wait to get back to my hotel room every night to read another chapter. I love books about contemporary family life and this one was not only well written, but it was unpredictable, full of twists and turns, and the characters really came to life. I absolutely loved it!

"An Adventure For Your Palate: An Eclectic Restaurant Tour In And Around Madison, Wisconsin With Chefs' Recipes", journalist, author, and food enthusiast Judith Sulik has compiled a list of some of the best restaurants, cafes, diners, and eateries to be found in the capital city of the Badger State and the smaller communities that collectively comprise Dane County, Wisconsin. Each featured establishment is given a one-page descriptive commentary, followed by a choice selection of recipes associated with their particular menus and kitchens. From the Admiralty Room at the elegant Edgewater Hotel in downtown Madison; to the Imperial Garden on Madison's eastside; to the Old Feed Mill on the city's westside; to the Main Street Diner and Ice Cream parlor on the north side; to Jada Soul Food 'south of downtown', "An Adventure For Your Palate" showcases dozens and dozens of great places to eat out. For example, in the little Village of Oregon just 12 miles south of Madison there is BrouxNellies, which offers good service combined with great food. Featured BrouxNellies recipes include Honey Mustard Dressing; Meatloaf; and 15 Bean Soup. Peppered throughout the pages of "An Adventure For Your Palate" are little vignettes of trivia about the communities and places within and around Madison. Sadly, a few of the restaurants featured have subsequently closed their doors -- but within this enthusiastically recommended addition to family cookbook collections in general, and Dane County residents in particular, those now yesteryear restaurants will live on in nostalgic memory.

Our family is always looking for waterfront dining - whether it's when we're travelling or at home in Connecticut. This book goes up the coast, town by town, with every waterfront restaurant - and even includes recipes for many of their most popular dishes. The comments included are "down to earth" and helpful to the average diner. As an added bonus, the author's web site has updates on the restaurants that have changed or closed - extremely handy in the restaurant business.

Following a general introductory part, the guidebook gives a description of each section of the AT in MA and CT (a trail section is roughly a 10 mile or so segment, generally cut by notable roads). The description consists of two portions: general and historic information (nearby towns, sites, camping, etc.) and trail description. The latter is a list of mileage points and directions. While it is very dry, it provides precisely the information one needs for hiking the AT. The water-resistant (plastic-like) maps are very detailed. A rather unusual feature is charts showing elevation change versus distance traveled.

In principle, either the maps or the book are sufficient to follow the trail, though each conveys useful additional information. Some people might perhaps find the two way too detailed and narrowly focused. In contrast to more comprehensive guidebooks (such as the White Mountain Guide), it describes little more than the AT (a few side trails are described), but in my view it does a fantastic job at what it sets out to. I have used this guidebook in MA and generally found it to be very accurate, even though it is 8 years old.

This book tells you what you need to know to hike the trail over these sections. The maps are accurate. It even includes sections on flora, fauna and geology of the region and hinking saftey.

The series is a must-have for hiking with children. I use the CT-MA-RI book to scope out which trails would be good for hiking with my 5 year old son. We have done about 8 of the 79 so far. Each one had accurate descriptions and good indicators for difficulty. Highly recommended.

Best Hikes in CMR is a great book for parents and kids to utilize for day hikes in the area. We found the most critical piece was that their ratings of difficutly and timeframes to complete are accurate. Also has many hikes in area's that are not the typical "tourist" hikes. The only negative was the limited maps that went along with the trail descriptions. Would be great if the author could point us to better maps or have a web site with them.

This is one of the most painstakingly well-done travel guides you'll find on any region anywhere, let alone CT. The book intelligently divides the state into seven regions: Far Northwest (Litchfield Hills), Central Valley, Far Northeast, Seafaring Southeast, Lower CT River Valley, Southwest Coast, and the Housatonic and Naugatuck River Valleys. Each section starts with a clear map showing the towns and major roads in detail, along with an inset showing how that section fits into the state. The text is filled with wonderfully researched stories of local history, interspersed with logically laid out descriptions of local events, attractions, seasonal activities, and places to stay and eat. If you're serious about touring Connecticut and you want to carry along just one book, this is the one!

For full coverage of any travel destination, it often takes two different kinds of travel book. First, there are the books on the history, social and cultural highlights of an area. Many of these books have glossy pictures. Second, there are books with maps, directions, up-to-date information on prices and hours and a quality rating system.

This book has both. Ziffer gives full and interesting details on each of the different regions of Connecticut. Her history starts with geologic origins of the region, extends through Native American and Colonial times and continues up to the present. This alone is fascinating reading. She also gives good information on cultural, artistic and historic places of interest. Like a Mobil Travel Guide, she includes listings for various restaurants with indications of how expensive your meal will be. You can probably find the right hotel for you using this book.

However, this book is not a substitute for a Mobil Travel Guide-type book in a strictly practical sense. The maps are not detailed or particularly helpful for navigation. Restaurants, hotels and B&B's are reviewed, but there is no overall rating system. Unlike a Mobil Travel Guide, this book has many black and white pictures. And, the detail provided about each town provides a good sense of just what kind of place you will find. Ziffer gives many suggestions for interesting things to do, including various festivals and events throughout the year.

I highly recommend this book for anyone planning travel to or through Connecticut. It is a particular aid to anyone who likes to scratch below the surface of a place. I would also recommend a Mobil Travel Guide or Fodor's to bring along in the car for the nitty gritty details of the trip. But, I would start my trip planning here.

After having purchased, "Couldn't Keep It to Myself," by Wally Lamb and having enjoyed it immensely, I moved on to this collection of stories. I loved the honest protrayal of the women who are both incarcerated and in charge of the ward. The journalistic tone of this book certainly conveys the very humanity of these women, and that is something that I think we often don't consider when thinking of criminals. Certainly this is a heavier read than what most would choose for bedtime enjoyment, but it is a substantial work that deserves time and attention. I highly recommend Rierden's book to anyone.

This book offers an honest and sensative look at real human beings and their lives. Without getting overly romantic about their situation in prison, it yields a soft picture of a side of society we too easily forget, avoid or misunderstand. It expands your vision of the world and therefore is very much worth reading.

The book does a good job of describing the geology of CT as well as providing specific locations / sites, and direction to check out. It's a good book for teachers, Scouts, amateur geologists, or others interested in geology to plan day trips.

Do you drive around Connecticut wondering what those rocks are outside the car window? This book is for you. It tells the history of the Earth and describes how the rocks we see in CT got here. It turns out CT is a great place to discover geology. You can visit places where continents collided, where the supercontinent of Pangaea ripped apart, where glaciers left their marks, etc. Cool book! Great gift for your favorite rock hound or science teacher.

This book illuminates the "old" UConn teams of the 1960's and early 1970's, teams I remember as a high school student and as a UConn student. The games then were thrilling to fans even if UConn was "only" a regional power. The "stall" game of 1970 was unforgetable and Wayne Norman and Bob Porter bring it back with insight and gusto. It was UConn basketball's finest game.

The book was inspiring from page to page. It was very enjoyable to read the stories and learn so history of the Uconn men team and the environment. I got very evolved into it and I was hooked. Definitely a page-turner. I could read the stories I was more interested in then reading one-large story. Worth the purchase!

Lucille Kallen has a very light touch and never wonders too far from what she knows in Introducing C. B. Greenfield. The mystery is never very threatening or suspenseful (or, for that matter, mysterious) and it relies far too heavily on coincidence for its momentum. But is it still a joyful read if only for listening to the narrator Maggie's inner voice and her boss', C.B. Greenfield, outer one. The author uses her skills learned in writing comedy sketches for television to keep the slight story moving in a gentle, humourous fashion that may appeal more to readers of domestic comedies of an earlier generation (think Shirley Jackson's Raising Demons) than mystery readers. A little joy.

Good writing is good writing is good writing -- wherever one finds it. Even if you're not a fan of mysteries, if you love witty and excellent writing, as well as unforgettable characters and clever plots, you won't regret reading this book. If you remember "Your Show of Shows" from television's golden age, you'll understand the high praise for this book, because the author was one of the writers of that masterpiece of wit and erudition -- the only woman so honored.

Maggie Rome is a woman that other women will enjoy reading about: she has a husband, two sons, a dog, a career, and occasionally fibs about her age--but only by three years. She is perceptive, a good cook, although a somewhat recalcitrant housekeeper, an amateur pianist of some capability, and the star reporter of the Sloan's Ford Reporter. The C. B. Greenfield of the title is the owner and publisher of the weekly paper in upstate New York, a cellist and music lover, and a man whose way with words and love of puzzles exasperates Maggie almost beyond bearing. Sometimes.

This is the first of five stories about Maggie and C.B.,--I'd already read one of the others--and have every intention of reading the others. In fact, I intend to search out all the books and add them to my collection; I need them handy to re-read when I need a pick-me-up. I wish that one of the publishers of mystery stories would bring them out again in new editions. Unfortunately, it would be too late for the author, whose pen was stilled in January 1999. We're all diminished by her passing.