Connecticut Books

This book is based upon a "large picture collection of the aftermath of the 1938 hurricane on Coast Guard facilities in New England." It is another fine publication of the Images of America series and contains many pictures which have never before been published.

This book was very accurate and to the point in it's time. Several of the areas described have changed substantially since the bok was first published. There were two new books published in 1996 that treat the same material in a more up to date way. Connecticut Birding Guide, Devine and Smith, and Finding Birds in Connecticut, Rosgren and Billings ISBN 96-068691.

I think that this book is a good beginning for anyone who enjoys hiking but doesn't know many places to go in CT. Once you get to know the different areas, this book falls short in the sense that there are many more hikes in CT than 50. This would make a nice gift for someone.

A nice look at the side streets and back roads of Connecticut. This book has many human interest stories and is fine bedtime reading.

This book was great for helping us get around the interstates and highways. It doesn't have much in the way of smaller town road maps making getting around in small New England towns a bit more cumbersome. But I do recommend the book for anyone planning a trip to multiple New England states.

Cities were hot, the country was cooler. This condition before air-conditioning led to summer theatre in America, beginning early in the twentieth century. Later on there would be other incentives for the tonier summer theatres, especially near enough to New York City: summer reruns meant television stars could headline on the summer stage. It was part Straw Hat Circuit, and part tryout venue for Broadway.

But the Westport Playhouse in the affluent Connecticut town also began with high artistic purpose. Its fascinating founder, Lawrence Langner, had already begun elevating the quality of New York theatre by the example of his Theatre Guild productions. He divided his time between theatre and a very successful patent business, scrupulously keeping them separate, but he did transfer at least one idea from one to the other. "All my [patent] clients have research departments to develop new products," he said. "The summer theatre must serve the same function for new plays and for playwrights, for actors and technicians, for directors and stage designers."

Though this large format book is liberally illustrated and generously sprinkled with celebrity names, the text is substantial. With this informal, almost conversational history of some 75 years of this unique theatre inevitably says a lot about American theatre in general.

Westport experimented with various formats and seasons, hit its stride in the 30s and 40s, had great years and not so great through the 50s, 60s and 70s (and the author doesn't pretend the misses were hits), nearly closed in 1989 and stumbled through the 90s, until its latest rebirth began in 2000 when Joanne Woodward became Artistic Director. Westport's 2002 production of "Our Town" with Paul Newman was seen by additional millions on television. Newly renovated, Westport continues to nourish theatre in its many forms with a mix of classics and new plays. Even out there in the country it fulfills a basic element of civilization: to bring live productions together with live audiences in as ancient and as human an experience as we have.

Cozzens' lesser novels are nevertheless enviably well-written. This one is the story of George Bull, the last of a dying breed of general practice physicians in New England in the 30s. Bull is extremely memorable -- a man living in the present, with few regrets, but coping with the cynicism that comes from watching patients die regardless of the level of care. When a public health crisis splits the town into factions, Bull's fate as a doctor hangs in the balance. This is an apt fictional counterpart to John McPhee's "Heirs of General Practice"

In 1969, the prestigious nature writer Jean Craighead George authored a series of thirteen books, each one focusing on a different season and an animal who survived during that time, all over the country. The books were called THE THIRTEEN MOONS and featured THE MOON OF THE ALLIGATOR, BEAR, CHICKAREE, DEER, FOX PUPS, MOLE, MONARCH BUTTERFLY, MOUNTAIN LION, OWL, SALAMANDER, WILD PIG, WINTER BIRD, and GRAY WOLVES (see my review of these books under THE MOON OF THE OWLS). These books featured simple black-and-white illustrations and went out of print. Two decades later in 1992 they made a comeback with lavish color illustrations, though they retained their poetic wording and intriguing subjects. But then the Thirteen Moons again went out of print. Now, to avid nature lovers' and readers' delight, they are back! The thirteen hardcover books have been compressed into four paperback ones, each one containing three or four stories about different animals, along with a few of the more recent color illustrations. The titles have changed; instead of the Thirteen Moons the series is now, perhaps slightly less majestically, Seasons of the Moon. AUTUMN MOON is the first to be released and features the MOON OF THE. . .DEER, ALLIGATORS, and GRAY WOLVES in their entirety. These outstanding stories pitting wild animals against the elements of nature are unforgettable. The descriptions are lively and very authentic. You can really see the young spike buck as he flees from the hurricane of September, feel the October humidity of the Everglades with the Florida alligator, and feel the chill in the air as the gray wolves trek through Alaska searching for food in snowy November. As for the illustrations, only a small portion of the ones from the reprinted 1992 versions are reproduced, and these hardly do the beautiful paintings any justice. Still, they do add to the stories, and it's nice that they were included. After reading AUTUMN MOON, be sure to read WINTER MOON, and SPRING and SUMMER MOON will be released in February of 2002. Ms. George has written nearly 80 other books for young readers. But the fineness of her nature writing is demonstrated in this amazing series.

I am a veteran of Gerry Brooks' cycling tours in NYC, and was saddened to learn that he's no longer running them on a scheduled basis. So I was really pleased to see this book, which contains the routes, driving directions and other key information relating to the Brooks Country Cycling Daytrips. The trips are fun, varied, pretty, and the routes are designed for quiet and safe cycling. They are designed for casual cyclists who want to enjoy the outdoors and have some fun. The option legs do cater to the more fitness-oriented among the crowd, too. The only quarrel I have with the book is that the drive time estimates seem either very optimistic, or Gerry drives with a lead foot. I would generally say that the drive times are 15-45 minutes longer than stated in the book. But otherwise, I recommend it wholeheartedly.

The maps in this book are very localized - Boston, the Berkshires, mid Maine Coast. So depending on where you are, you either get a bunch of rides or none at all. Only Vermont is really fully represented.

The maps are clearly drawn and good, and work well in conjunction with a GPS. The directions are broken out by consecutive mile, which is the way I like it, but they should also provide the "miles to next leg" information too for people who prefer that.

The book offers thorough information on dress, etiquette, food and more. It suggests you take it easy - "don't be goaded by others into riding a tour that you feel unprepared for."

Good challenging rides for those who want to drive out and do a 50-100 mile ride somewhere beautiful. Again, because of the length and the fact that you're probably going a distance from home, I definitely suggest bringing a GPS and scoping out which businesses are still in business for food and other necessities beforehand.