Hawaii Books

A cookbook scribed from the heart with elegance and humor. Simple to follow recipes and dishes easy to make, even for a bachelor like me. I recommend this cookbook memoir book to everyone that likes to cook who has been fortunate enough to taste the multicultural cuisine of the Hawaiian Islands and those who wish they could.

The collaboration of Shirley Tong Parola and Lisa Parola Gaynier, Remembering Diamond Heat, Remembering Hawai'i: A Cookbook Memoir Of Hawai'i And Its Food won first place in the cookbook category of the Writer's Digest International's Self-Published Book Awards. Packed from cover to cover with 250 delicious recipes and regional culinary favorites of the Hawaiian islands, of special note are the sidebars on every page providing advice and instruction on everything from locating and selecting ingredients, to their preparation and preservation. From Coconut Cardamom Coffee Cake; Papaya and Chinese Greens Salad; Mahimahi Chowder; and Mango Chutney Dip; to Pacific Rim Barbecue; Sauteed Salmon Filet with Avocado Sauce; Luau Chicken; and Hawaiian Style German Chocolate Cake, Remembering Diamond Heat, Remembering Hawai'i is an ideal and highly recommended addition to any adventurous collection of ethnic and regional cookbooks.

This memoir with recipes brings some wonderful flavors and aromas to life; the recipes are easy to follow and you can almost feel the tradewinds wafting through.....kalua pork,soy glazes, coconut pudding.....
Shirley Tong Parola and her daughter Lisa Parola Gaynier recall a simpler time and a beautiful harmony between peoples of different ethnic backgrounds, living out their dreams on the paradise that is Hawaii......their ability to bring a taste of the islands to the mainland resulted in opening successful restaurants in Indiana and then later in Michigan---tasting the foods of this heady ethnic mix, Mainlanders never had it so good and you, too, can recreate the special culinary magic that was theirs.....

This was more than a cookbook it was an experience. The recipes were just great, from fried rice to banana cream pie, my husband and I have savored the flavors. As a collector of cookbooks I have been more successful with these recipes than any cookbook I have tried in many years. However, the surprise bonus was that the delightful history of the food and the family caused me to actually read the entire cookbook before I tried the first recipe. What fun!

I'm a Hawaii native now living in Bloomington Indiana. I was not able to see Shirley in person when she was here earlier this month for a book signing / cooking demonstration. I did buy her book anyway and it is really great. Why? I'm not exactly the best cook by any means, but through Shirley and Lisa's honest, open, and interesting commentaries, one can actually learn about the history, culture, and uses of the many flavorful dishes of the islands. Plus, the book does a great job explaining what certain food terms mean such as "saimin", "poke", "mochiko" or "aburage" since they are not common words used here on the mainland. I have many cookbooks from Hawaii written for locals, but I honestly believe that Shirley and Lisa's book is a great way to share Hawaiian food dishes and recipes with our mainland friends. In fact, I have recommended this book to several of my new friends here in Southern Indiana. If any of you want to try out Hawaiian food without having fly to Hawaii to sample it, this book is the easiest and cheapest way to do so. On a final note, try the Mochi Chicken. This dish is typcial party food in Hawaii. You'll like it!

Jacobus'characters are lost in paradise. As natives or tourists in the Islands of Hawaii, they seek to find themselves in a place of amazing beauty and compelling challenges.
His short stories are both entertaining and poignant.

Jacobus has given us a sensitive and evocative portrayal of stories in the Islands as he paints wonderful pictures of each individual we see facing life changing situations.

Clear,clean writing reminiscent of Hemingway's best.A must read for those who admire short stories with bite and sensitivity.

VOLCANIC JESUS by Lee Jacobus is a series of short stories set in Hawaii that seems to be the next best thing to a trip to the islands. Jacobus is at his best when he profiles the lives of native Hawaiians, one of the least explored of the "annexed American" groups. He catches and captures a floating culture whose traditions have been undermined with nothing to show for it but shopping malls and other American perks.
Indeed, their redeeming quality is resiliance in the face of anonymity.

I love to read. A friend sent me a gift of Volcanic Jesus. I found the book engaging and that the author is a master storyteller who can write about sex, faith, family, suffering and joy, and the human condition. I have visited Hawaii, but this was my first introduction to the decendents of the "first families" as the author tells of their "joys and woes". If you like to read, you will love the book.

In 39 very short chapters, Ken Schoolland explains many of the topics covered in macro economic textbooks, but in an interesting way inspired by The Little Prince and Gulliver's Travels. This book makes economics fun. The commentary edition gives parents or teachers ideas for discussion other references. Amazon doesn't seem to keep the book in stock. It has been translated into 41 languages, won numerous awards and was praised by the late Milton Friedman. [...] find out about the upcoming hardcover English edition with color illustrations. Ken Schoolland is an award winning economics professor at Hawaii Pacific University. He has written an economics book unlike any other!

This is a wonderful young-adult literature book on free-market economics and the inherent problem of things like publicly owned land, eminent domain, welfare, the drug problem, the one major weakness of pure democracy and other such things. Part of what makes it such a delight is that there are references to many great economic ideas and thinkers such as Ludwig Von Mises (the cat, Mices), who had been many brands of socialism before becoming one of the greatest economists ever, Frederic Bastiat's candlemen's petition, Murray Rothbard (the Great Bard), etc. Using small little stories, the book illustrates the inherent conflict over many government programs and regulations and how they also benefit either special interests or bureaucrats in particular. This is a great way to get interested in economics as a whole and alsw the libertarian movement as well.

After returning from Brazil, South America I purchased a copy of this book. I was amazed, because it seemed to be describing the country I had just been living in! This wonderful, readable book shows the fallacies of collectivism in terms that anyone can understand, using narration. In fact, I'm reading it to my 7-year-old daughter these days for bedtime.

I took economics this past summer with Mr. Schoolland. Very cool teacher and his book definitely supplemented the class. It really helped me to understand the economic theories because he presents them in a comprehensible fashion. Good book to have!

As a retired history teacher of 32 years at the secondary level, I beleive not only that this little book should be read by all children, it should be mandated that every home have a copy permanently on file. For those familiar with the Founding Fathers and their intent, you will be surprised at how far we have strayed. We intend to use this as part of the home study course for our two granddaughters ages 10 and 9.

Herb Kawainui Kane (pronounced KAH-ney) is a master artist, voyaging canoe designer, and Hokule`a captain. He is also author of Ancient Hawaii, a visual extravaganza of his vision, based on research and his artistic interpretation, of the life and times of pre- and post-contact Hawaiians.

Kane writes: "Without writing, kahuna were the living libraries of the old culture, preserving knowledge in trained memories. Some feats of memory seem incredible today. The story of Kamapua1a required sixteen hours of word-perfect recitation. Some temple invocations, we are told, in which any mistake would break the power of the words, required two days to deliver. Early Christian missionaries were astonished to find among their converts some who could recite entire books from the Bible soon after learning to read. Knowledge kept in living memories and shared only among a select few is extremely fragile, which helps explain why so much has been lost. One epidemic of an introduced disease could wipe out the masters of a guild, and with them knowledge accumulated over millennia. Disenfranchised in 1819 and subsequently condemned by Christian missionaries as sorcerers and witch doctors, their veil of secrecy became their shroud" (p. 40).

Given the reduction of the Hawaiian population from a high of over 800,000 to only 40,000 in a hundred years, Kane's hypothesis explains a great deal.

"Much that we would like to know about them has been lost by the impact of Western ways as well as their own customs of secrecy. Much of what remains is tantalizingly indistinct, blurred through the lens of our modern vision, distorted by the fantasies and embellishments all peoples invent about their pasts" (p. 7). I think Kane would admit that his personal fantasies affect him as well, with his depictions of ancient life in his paintings, noble and proud. Regardless, his paintings are magnificent, and they are well integrated into his text.

Ancient Hawaii is a nice addition to the secondary literature on Hawaii's history. For the price, it is probably the best bargain around.

Liked the story. LOVED the artwork. If you're only going to have one book on Hawaii's history, then make it this one.

This compendium of beauty and history will be enjoyed and cherished by all ages. Children will revel in the wonderfully intricate paintings of Kane. He is able to express the baeauty and unique culture of his people. His descriptions and historical information truly shows his love for the islands and of all things kanaka. I reccomemend this to anyone interested in a loving people.

I bought this book to be able to describe ancient Polynesian life. The photos are treasure troves of information. The text is almost secondary, even if it is right on track. Well worth the cost if only for the beauty of the prints. Did I say the pictures were pretty?

Before the grand hotels and resorts, before crowded beaches, before paved roads and cars... there was sacred Hawai'i of old.

Herb Kawainui Kane allows you through his words and mostly through his artwork to revisited old Hawai'i in its truest and purist form. It's a visual journey that details even the smallest things. Herb Kane does an excellent job at retelling a story almost forgotten... a spiritual and emotional journey experienced by all but so often unexplained until now.

Hawai'i was and is still a magical place and Herb Kane's work shows that better than most any other artist I've seen in Hawai'i. Herb's work allows you to take a differant kind of trip to paradise... the one that existed and flourished for a thousand years before discovery by Captain Cook.

As the Fleet Intellegence Officer of Admirals Kimmel and Nimitz Edwin Layton was in a unique position to see and to understand what was going on regarding the battles at Pearl Harbor and Midway. This welcome reprint to the 1985 book has to be considered one of the more definitive books of the couple of hundred on the subjects.

Layton was a language officer stationed in Japan before the war to learn Japanese. He followed Japan and the Japanese developments closely. He was at Pearl before the attack and remained there throughout the war. He was on the Missouri at the Japanese surrender.

There are a series of revisionist history books that propose such things as Roosevelt and Churchill conspiring to let the Japanese attack at Pears. Yes there is evidence that we had some intelligence pointing to the Japanese attack. But you have to look carefully at how much material there was, how many messages had been intercepted, how few had been translated and you come up with the basic understanding that it just hadn't been put together. A lot like the situation with 9/11, Monday morning quarterbacking is much easier than being in the midst of the game.

Layton was there, he knew what Kimmel and Short knew, indeed he had briefed them with the material on hand. Could they have been better prepared, yes, Layton says, if Admiral Richmond K. Turner had forwarded the information. But like any inter-departmental power struggle, Turner held the information to himself.

I was also surprised by the relatively little animosity shown towards the Redman brothers who bounced Rochefort and Safford out. Indeed Layton points out that the do it themselves style of Rochefort and Safford probably wouldn't have done a very good job of managing the Navy Radio Intelligence activities that grew to almost 8,500 people by the end of the war.

All in all, a must read for anyone interested in what happened at Pearl and Midway.

And I was there.
This is a great book by one who was there, Adm Layton. He was Adm Kimmels intelligence officer at Pearl Harbor.
He shows how the incompetence of the Navy in Washington led to the surprise attack at Pearl, by the Navy, specifically adm Stark and Kelly Turner, not giving Pearl the vital information they had about Jap intentions, but refused to give Pearl. The Navy also had 2 intelligence groups fighting for the information, and control, evaluating, and dissemination of the information. This too sabotaged the intelligence efforts, and does to this day.
Gen Marshall is also responsible for the debacle. He was reprimanded, but Roosevelt set aside the Congressional verdict on him.
Kimmel was judged not guilty of any wrongdoing by the Navy, but found derelict by Congress, a tragic miscarriage of justice, due to lies under testimony by Stark, and Turner.

The Redmon brothers are faulted too for ousting the most brilliant Navy intelligence officer, Rochefort, who correctly guessed the time and location of the Midway battle.

Another tragic aftermath of Pearl, was the loss of Wake Island. Kimmel had a carrier task force sailing to resupply and relieve the garrision that was under attack by the Japs. This would have surprised the Japs and could have sunk many Jap ships, saved Wake Island, and kept open the supply lines to the Phillipines. Unfortunaely, Kimmel was relieved, and Adm Pye replaced him Pye lost his nerve and cancelled the mission.

MacArthur is noted, as being in charge of the Phillipines, and being under orders to attack Formosa with his B17's when Pearl was attacked. He had a 9 hour warning after Pearl had been attacked, and had been told to attack. It was not until years after this book was published that the records of why Mac did nothing in the Phillipines were found. He was paid $650,000 by Pres Quezon of the Phillipines to do nothing, as he wanted to be neutral. MacArthur lost the Phillipines, a far more important strategic outpost than Pearl, as well as half the B17's we had, and 1/5 of our fighters, on the ground, just as what happened at Pearl, only 9 hours later, after he had multiple phone calls from Washington to attack the Japs.

The battle of Guadalcanal and other Pacific battles is also gone into in some detail
It was Nimitz, not Mac Arthur that devised the island hopping idea.
A great book by a hero who was there.

First and major portion of book covering Pearl Harbor is excellent. However, after Layton's death, the book was continued from his notes and descriptions of campaigns after Pearl Harbor suffer in quality by comparison.

Before you jump on some revisionist books about Pearl Harbor, like Stinnet's Day of Deceipt, you should get it from the horses mouth! Layton, et al, tell a little known side of the war in the pacific. His opinions of some famous naval personalities like Stark and R.K. Turner will really have you thinking about how war is run when powerful, ambitious officers are running the show. It's a shame that lives had to be wasted while the U.S. got its act together to finally win the war in the pacific, but Layton's tale will give you a new perspective and supports much of what was previously written, like Prang's "At Dawn We Slept", about the debacle of Pearl Harbor and the genius that followed at Midway. Buy it!

Edwin T. Layton served as Fleet Intelligence Officer for Admirals Kimmel and Nimitz. He, along with the other members of station Hypo, were assigned the task of breaking into Japan's secret codes, especially their JN-25 cypher. Through exhausting efforts by its members, they were finaly able to penetrate enough of the JN-25 code to make reasonable assumptions as to what the Japanese navy was planning. "Magic" was the term used for the intercept and decryption of these secret codes.

However, no decoding was actually done at Pearl Harbor, because there was no "Purple" decoding machine there. All intercepts had to be sent to Washinton for decryption, and Hawaii relied on Washington for their information. Layton's thesis is that Pearl Harbor was denied vital intelligence which, if issued in a timely fashion, could have alerted Pearl Harbor to the impending attack which occurred on December 7, 1941. Although I agree with some of his thesis, I also believe that the Pearl Harbor commanders made terrible mistakes of their own which also contributed to the unpreparedness of Pearl Harbor.

One message that Washington failed to send Pearl Harbor which I believe, along with Layton, could have alerted the fleet to the attack was the so-called "bomb plot" message. In a nutshell, this message divided Pearl Harbor into several sections and placed ships in each section; almost like laying an invisible grid over the harbor. Of all the messages that Pearl Harbor failed to receive, this was probably the most important.

However, with this stated, I also believe that the commanders made grievous errors of their own. On November 27, 1941, a "war warning" message was sent to both commanders at Pearl Harbor. Both seemed perplexed and unsure of the course of action to be taken. Why was this? Both Admiral Kimmel and General Short were high ranking members of the military, yet they both dragged their feet when they received this message. Short simply ordered defense against sabotage instead of ordering an all-out alert, while Kimmel failed to order any further long-range patrols, plus he didn't order the battle force to sea. They seemed incapable of making any independent judgement of their own. Instead, they needed to be told directly what to do. These omissions are unforgivable.

Inter-service rivalry also played a role in the failure. As pointed out by Layton, there was very little inter-service cooperation or sharing of messages, so most of the time, one usually didn't know what the other was doing. Further, during the Midway operation, a rivalry betwen station Hypo and the Washington-based intelligence unit nearly cost us the battle, but fortunately, Layton and commander Joe Rochefort were able to convince Nimitz that Hypo, not Washington, was correct.

I thought this was a good book, but I disagree with Layton's assertion that Kimmel and Short were scapegoats and had no clue what was happening. Granted, there was some intelligence that was definitely denied to them, but they should have been able to interpret events on ther own, namely the war warning message. This book is a good counter-argument to other works, such as "At Dawn We Slept". The information about the battle of Midway is especially interesting, plus the story of the codebreaking activities was well-done.

Nice detailed reference on the battleship Arizona. Detailed history. Very useful collection of pictures. Great reference for modelers.

When the pacage arrived from Amazon, I did realise that it would be such a big book just on one Battleship! The detail for any history buff, model maker is great. A good purchase but you will need a reading table to hold it!

Mr. Stillwell has brought BB-39 to life in a way that hasn't been matched by anyone else who has attempted. His rendering of the life of the ship from her birth in the NY Navy yards to her death in the waters of Pearl Harbor is amazing in its clarity & detail.

OK, some detail might be lacking for the technical buffs but his description of the construction, manning, & day-to-day operation of a US naval vessel in the 1st half of the 20th century is superlative. He blends both the hardware & the human element so that Arizona & her crew leap off the pages as a living, breathing combination of steel & flesh.

Highly recommended for those who are interested in the Arizona herself & for anyone who would like to know many of the hows & whys of US Naval operations between the wars.

PS: Scale modelers invariably recommend "Battleship Arizona" as -the- definitive work to those who are researching details of BB-39 for their own modeling projects.

IN A NUTSHELL: AN ILLUSTRATED READER THAT INCLUDES TECHNICAL APPENDICES

One could say that the above says it all.

WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT: THE LIFE & DEATH OF THE ARIZONA AND HER CREWS

In great detail, this book begins as the ship's keel is laid, [16 MARCH 1914] with a picture of FDR who was on hand as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for the ceremony. It ends with the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. Included, after the end of the book, are 5 appendices that include all the information that modelers and naval history enthusiasts will be seeking.

FOR THOSE READERS THAT ARE A LITTLE IMPATIENT - -

The first seven chapters of the book is about the peacetime life aboard one of the U.S. Navy's super-dreadnoughts. It is an interesting and well illustrated historical reader.

This changes abruptly for Chapter 8, "DAY OF INFAMY" which details a basic reconstruction of the morning of December 7, 1941, as it pertains to the Battleship Arizona. Highlighted most of all are the individual acts of heroism and the selflessness of many of the crew in their desperate efforts to save their fellow crewmen, their ship and themselves. Also included is a sketch which illustrates where the damage to the ship occurred, which is a huge aid in understanding what happened so quickly to the Arizona on December 7, 1941. This is short, seemingly all too short, but one must realize that the Arizona's magazines' exploded only about 10 minutes after the attack began. 1177 men of the Arizona's crew were killed in that short time with only 337 survivors, many of whom were on leave so they were not there at the time. In other words, about 85% of the crew on-board were killed in basically ten minutes. Nevertheless, the detail is quite accurate and more importantly, easy to follow and appreciate.

Chapter 9, "AFTERMATH" is pretty gruesome in some places, but this is after all a rather gruesome real life disaster. This chapter does include the attempted salvaging of the Arizona and some stories about the men who remained on board [forever in most cases].

THE APPENDICES: HISTORIAN & MODELERS HEAVEN

- APPENDIX 1 - CHRONOLOGY from 1916 - 1941, 42 pages includes a great deal of day to day missions and events of interest.

- APPENDIX 2 - COMMANDING OFFICERS - DATES INCLUDED

- APPENDIX 3 - CREW LIST - 7 DECEMBER 1941, includes fatalities and survivors separately of both the Navy and Marine Corp. Includes summary at the end.

- APPENDIX 4 - A SAILOR'S LETTERS - SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

- APPENDIX 5 - SHIP'S DATA, include detailed specs with individual breakdown of the weights of different components of the ship [eg. armor, machinery, hull etc.] both originally and after the modernization in 1931.

Within Appendix 5 there are numerous sketches [1:600 scale] which are probably copies of the ships blueprints. These are detailed to show individual compartments and components and are labeled. The alterations that were made to the ship over time have been included. A very important addition.

BOTTOM LINE:

Paul Stillwell and "The Naval Institute Press" have another winner in this volume.

I chose to read The Illustrated History of the Battleship Arizona, written by Paul Stillwell. This is not the first book of this format that he has written The Illustrated History of the Battleship Missouri, follows the same format as well. The book started in the shipyard as the U.S.S. Arizona was being built then the author takes you through the daily routine of the ship as if you were a sailor on the great battleship. You feel as though you're in the middle of Pearl Harbor looking over the Arizona as the battle is taking place. The ship was built in 1918, and was the pride of the Pacific fleet threw out the 20's. The Arizona was featured in a Famous movie called, Here Comes the Navy. After Pearl Harbor the ship was made into a now world famous memorial.

This had been one of the best books I had ever been able to read there is so much information given on this great ship, and the pictures make the ship come alive. I would suggest this book to anyone who has an interest in ships and the way they run, or a fan of history. I have not read any other books that Paul Stillwell has written, but if they are half as good as this one I would recommend it to anyone.

I always wondered how in the world did they train a dolphin to jump, flip and do all those fancy moves and now I have some idea. I mean afterall, the dolphin is in the water and you are on land? With dogs, at least, you can say commands with your voice and reward it by petting it. Well, this book answers all those questions you wondered about how they trained dolphins but were to afraid to ask or afraid to look stupid by asking. It is written in a very friendly, easy to read language and I was very pleasantly surprised with the book. I would highly recommended to to anybody and who knows, you might pick up a pointer or two on how to train other animals!

As someone who has loved dolphins her entire life (when I was little I wanted to be a dolphin trainer), this book intrigued me just because it was about dolphins and written by a dolphin trainer. I was pleasantly surprised on how much I was actually able to learn by reading it. Not only is it a great wealth of information about cetaceans (dolphins), it is also a very interesting read on training. It is full of anecdotes, making the book entertaining, and scientific data and fact, helping to lend a bit of seriousness. The unique training ideas that Karen Pryor discovered by trial and error can be, and are, used on every animal from a dolphin to a cat to a human. I highly recommend this book.

This book was great!!! Karen Pryor is a great writer and a wonderful scientist!!! I have never read a more inciting book! It was great, it gave me different perspectives on dolphin training and even some insight on careers!! Buy this book, you won't regret it!!

I first read this book almost 20 years ago, when I was a kid and in love with dolphins. I have re-read it two dozen times since then and enjoyed it just as much every single time. It will help the reader understand behavior in general...of your pets, your kids, your co-workers, your spouse...and how you can affect that behavior with timely and positive reinforcement of desirable responses. A delightful book! Hugely entertaining throughout.

This book provided a great insider's look to what is means to be a dolphin/marine mammal trainer. I would recommend this book to anyone who is considering this for a career path. I know I am and that this book has helped me gained a great perspective and tips on dolphin training. The stories are really touching and before you know it, you're feel like standing right next to the author feeding and playing with the dolphins. This book is a definite must-have!

I had read another book, Alaska Twilight, written by this author. I doubted that "Midnight Sea" could be as terrific a book as the former. I was wrong! Colleen's way of telling a story couldn't be any better in keeping a reader glued to the pages. The story locale is Hawaii in the midst of the many coffee plantations. Leilani Tagama, known as Lani, is the featured girl in the book. Lani has a terrible accident that leaves her blind and prevents her memory from seeing who she had seen murder a good friend. Lani had always been a very active person and she could not imagine how she could live a decent life without her sight. In her previous years Lani had been very loose in her many romances with men. She had recently turned to God to get her life in gear and now could not understand why God allowed this blindness to occur.

Ben Mahoney had taken on training guide dogs to assist those that had lost their sight to live a much better life. At this time he was training a two-year old golden retriever and "Fisher" was doing quite well. He was almost ready to help those in need of his services. While in training, Ben and Fisher had run into Ben's former police partner, Yoshi Tagama, a cousin of Lani's. Yoshi requested the help of Ben and a guide dog for Lani. Ben wasn't sure that Fisher was ready for active work yet but finally gave in and told Yoshi he would take Fisher to Lani to see how it would work out. His hesitation was further enhanced knowing Lani's past reputation as being too free with the men but realized Lani needed help with her total blindness.

Ben's brother, Ethan and wife, Natalie, are almost always spaced out on alcohol, leaving their adorable daughter, Meg, without caring parents. A boating accident takes the lives of Ethan and Natalie but somehow Meg survived in her life vest. The accident also exposed criminal activity taking place in the area. Ben and Lani then cared for Meg.

The story continues as it brings Ben and Lani closer together through Meg and their feelings for each other even though they did not express those feelings to each other. Lani's life was at risk because the killer felt Lani had seen him before her sight was lost and would someday remember who he was. Lani and Fisher made a great team as they adjusted to life together and Lani grew so attached to him that she told Ben she could never give up Fisher even if she regained her sight, which she felt she would some day.

Yoshi stayed as close to Lani and Meg as he could but he had other police work to do and could not spend every hour protecting them. Lani had several attempts on her life and her senses had saved her along with her friends being on the alert constantly. She even got to the point where she could distinguish by feel the ripe coffee beans and helped in the picking with Meg sometimes at her side and other times with friends and family watching Meg. Meg loved gum and everyone knew that fact as she insisted loudly that she wanted some gum!

The Christian atmosphere all through the book stand out especially well as Lani sometimes wonders why God let all these thing happen but then realized that God had done so many good things for her too. Midnight Tea is a page-turner that is extremely hard to put down. The reading is easy but pleasant and certainly not boring. There are no slow sections to bog you down. I highly recommend it.

Midnight Sea transported me right away with the rich setting and tropical details. I enjoyed the tidbits about coffee production as well as the complex plot which kept me guessing. I am a mystery gal and I didn't guess the ending! Lani's relationship with Ben and Fisher the guide dog were interesting to watch as they evolved. A very enjoyable read! Dana Mentink

Colleen, you did it again. Every book in this Aloha Reef series just kept getting better and better. More mystery. More intrigue. More romance. Is this really the last book. I want to read more. Thanks for the series.

As a person who loves the Hawaiian Islands, this series of books from Colleen Coble has been a refreshing way to transport myself from the mainland to the islands by just picking up the books and begin reading. I love the fact that the places she references in the stories are real and accurate in her descriptions. I am able to actually visualize what she is speaking of through the characters. I am sad that when I finish Midnight Sea book #4 in the Aloha Reef Series that I am at the end! I hope Colleen writes a 5th book!

I enjoyed the first 3 books in this series, and this one is wonderful! The characters are people that I want to know more about, plus there is a connection to characters from the other books. Once I started reading, I had to keep going to find out what happened, so start this book when you have a good chunk of time to spend with it!

As a frequent traveler to Hawaii and a big mystery fan I like to combine the two and read books with Hawaiian settings. So often it quickly becomes clear that the author's use of a Hawaiian setting is a gimmick and/or based on travel brochure myth of what The Islands are like. Not so at all with Chip Hughes' books in the Surfing Detective series, Murder on Molokai and Wipeout. I was recently in Hawaii and was scanning bookshop for local authors and found the first two books in this series. Two days later after reading them both straight through, I was surprised and delighted to find both books rich in Hawaiian flavor and well written with interesting stories and characters. I highly recommend both books for fans of Hawaii, mystery detective PI fiction or just good books to read!

Excellent book, amazing imagery and captivating all the way through. It's not excessivly long and drawn out.

Murder on Molokai is a thouroughly enjoyable read. This murder mystery novel grabs your attention from the first page and the surprising plot twists keep you on your toes.

Chip Hughes writes a very entertaining murder mystery. He also refers to many places and people on Oahu and Molokai that will pleasantly jog the memories of those who have visited there, and make those who haven't visited there want to.

I read this book while vacationing on the island of O'ahu, and I simply could not put it down. This is one mystery that kept me turning pages until I was finished, and the character of "The Surfing Detective", Kai Cooke, is a great one. While making this character totally unique, Chip Hughes has taken some of the better attributes of some of our most beloved detectives and given them to Kai Cooke. If you can picture Magnum, P.I. with a touch of a Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler, you would have Kai Cooke. I thoroughly urge you to give this author and this story an opportunity to impress you as I was impressed. You will finish the story with a 'Mahalo' to Chip for one fine story! I cannot wait until further volumes about the surfing detective become available.

we loved this story I didn't not realize there was a history on these
people. and it was done so well I would recommend you read Malaki first
then this book after. good read

Aloha kakou,
Outstanding collaborative effort by two very important Native Hawaiian voices. This wonderful portrait details a man`s life spent well--dealing with the challenges and trials of surviving Hansen`s disease in Kalaupapa, Moloka`i. Not an in depth about Hansen`s or Kalaupapa, this is Henry`s story, his life, loves, talents and legacy. Henry tells his story, through Sally-Jo`s sensitive handling, with the self effacing, off hand manner of a true local Bruddah. Typical of Hawaiians of his generation, he can do a handful of difficult things really well. This celebration of a life lived with purpose also shows what can result from a life lived purposefully with Aloha. I strongly recommend this book.

Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (3/07)

This is an amazing story. It is Henry's story. Henry Nalielua, diagnosed with Hansen's disease at the age of ten, was branded leprous. "No Footprints in the Sand" is an important memoir. It tells of the journey that took Henry from a sugar plantation community on the Island of Hawaii to Kalaupapa, a remote settlement on the Hawaiian island of Molokai.

Nalaielua's story is inspiring. Even in exile, with lifelong medical and physical challenges and isolation from his family, he faced life with hope, perseverance, courage, and humor. Henry learned to draw and paint. He became an artist. Henry loved music and mastered the ukulele and upright bass. He became a musician. Henry's mind was sharp. He was determined and quick-to-learn. He became an historian. Henry has also served on numerous public agency advisory boards. When the facility at Kalaupapa was named a National Historic Park, Henry became a guide for park visitors. He still resides at Kalaupapa

Co-author Sally-Jo Bowman worked determinedly over a period of years to help bring Henry's story to publication. She first met Henry in 1995, when he helped her with on-site research at Kaluapapa for several magazine articles about the Hansen's disease colony.

Henry's story is unforgettable. It is told with intimacy and openness. "No Footprints in the Sand" is a heartwarming memoir that will inspire anyone facing adversity, long term illness, or needing encouragement. This was a very positive reading experience.

I've now given away so many copies of No Footprints that I should have bought a dozen or twenty at wholesale. Henry's is an amazing story of a kolohe kanaka - naughty Hawaiian - who had the misfortune to contract a dreaded disease in 1936. Sally-Jo Bowman's input makes it a fascinating read. Sounds just like Henry sat down and wrote it all by himself, but we know it doesn't work that way. I chuckled at Henry's can-do attitude. Man after my own heart. I'm glad the book includes all his Casanova events. What a guy, a real renaissance kanaka kane - Hawaiian man. Great title!

In his powerful first book, "Uncle Henry" Nalaielua tells a story that has rarely been told, of a dark moment of Hawai'i's history; not from the distant viewpoint of the historian, but from the first-person testimony of its survivor.

With honesty, humor and vivid detail, Henry's courageous tale touched my soul, so profoundly, that I kept wanting to know more. I couldn't put it down and finished it in one sitting, wishing that it wouldn't end. It stirred emotions in the same way as Paulo Coelho's, "The Alchemist," in its message of following one's dream, despite all obstacles. (Except, this is no fable; it is a real life piece.)

Along with his brilliant co-author, Sally-Jo Bowman, he weaves an intimate story of strength and perserverence, which will surely be known for decades to come as one of the islands' finest mo`olelo.

This is a must read for everyone and makes for a wonderful gift. It will touch you in surprising ways, and make you want to meet this incredible man and the spiritual place that he would finally call, "home."