Michigan Books

Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. Author Chris Shanley Dillman's historical fiction novel based on a true story involving her ancestors was a great read! The story centers on 16-year-old Emma Truckey, the daughter of the Lighthouse Keeper responsible for the Marquette Lighthouse in Marquette, located on the shores of Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The year is 1863, and the Civil War is raging on. Emma's father was called to serve for the Union, and the care of the lighthouse was left to Emma's mother, Anastasia, known by the local Native Americans as "Mother of the Light". Like in all wars, when the men left for duty, the women assumed the jobs that men would normally do, and they did it well. When the war was over, however, almost all the women lost their jobs in favor of the returning soldiers. This isn't in the story, but Emma's father returns with a musketball in his leg and is able to resume taking care of the lighthouse.

When Anastasia leaves to take care of her ailing sister in Canada, it is up to Emma and her siblings to fend for themselves and run the lighthouse in her absence. During a bad storm, a ship crashed on the rocks due to the fury of Lake Superior, and Emma and her good friend, Bobby, row out to rescue any survivors. One man, Alex, did survive. When Emma goes to dry out the items in Alex's satchel, she discovers a secret that puts her entire family in jeopardy!

Besides the fascinating backdrop of the historical portion of this novel, this story is also all about Emma's epic struggle with herself. She has no self-esteem, thinks she's ugly and a klutz, and has no idea what others really think of her. Her new friend, Bobby, is a girl that flaunts convention and dresses as a boy. Emma is awed by Bobby's confidence in herself. Throughout the story, Bobby makes inroads into helping Emma see what a valuable and loveable person she really is. This is a must-read for any age group over 12 to learn something about history, running a lighthouse, and finding one's way through life and becoming a confident person. A thoroughly enjoyable book! Perhaps because she was writing about her relatives, or perhaps it is just because Chris is an excellent writer, I found Emma's "voice" in this book coming through loud and clear. Great job, Chris! Your relatives must be looking down on you quite proudly, I'd say!

Chris Shanley Dillman's "Finding My Light" is the finest young adult novel I have read in many years, and one I think adults will enjoy as well. The story tells of sixteen year old Emma Truckey, left behind with her mother and siblings to tend the lighthouse in Marquette, Michigan on Lake Superior during the Civil War, while her father, Nelson Truckey goes off to fight in the Michigan 27th.

Emma's internal journey begins as one of self-doubt, but when her mother must travel to Canada to care for her sick sister, Emma, as the oldest child, finds that the responsibility of keeping the light and watching over her siblings fall upon her shoulders. With the help of her siblings, and her new friend, Bobby, Emma discovers the strength and inner resources she has always had. Bobby is a charming, fun friend who is able to help Emma discover her own value. Bobby dresses like a boy and is not afraid to step in and help out where needed. She is especially Emma's strength the night of a shipwreck when the two of them must go out in a rowboat to rescue the only survivor.

The plot thickens with the rescue of the shipwreck survivor. Emma quickly discovers he is some sort of spy, but she does not know if he is a spy for the Union or the Confederacy. The result is a mission she must go on to help protect the Union. Her adventures ultimately lead to her growth and her reliance upon herself as her own best friend.

I wanted to read "Finding My Light" because I am a native of Marquette, Michigan where the book is set. I am also an author who writes about the Marquette area so I was curious to see how a fellow author treated the same region. However, most of all I was interested in "Finding My Light" because the Truckeys in the novel are the author's actual ancestors, although she did fictionalize parts of the story--author's license of course. My own great-great-grandfather served in the Michigan 27th with Nelson Truckey, so I was ready to learn plenty about the time period of my ancestors. While the book captures the historical time-period and the feel of early Marquette as a small community, I was primarily impressed with the strong character development in Emma, who truly does find her own light during the book. The revelation she has at the end is one that will resonate with readers, especially young adults who are learning their own self-value as they move into adulthood.

While I will not give away the ending, I know the author is planning a second book related to this one which includes a female disguised as a boy joining the Michigan 27th. I am already impatient to read it.

I rank this book up there with "Dandelion Cottage" and "Granite Harbor" as one of the best young adult books produced about the Marquette area, and no doubt, the book has universal appeal to readers despite time period, location, and gender. I congratulate Chris Shanley Dillman for writing what I hope will become a classic.

- Tyler R. Tichelaar, author of "Iron Pioneers, The Marquette Trilogy: Book One" available on Amazon

What a delightful book with a unique concept. Having formerly lived at the beach and being a person who likes all things "beachy," I couldn't wait to read this story of young Emma "coming of age" under the watchful eye of her mother who is a lighthouse keeper ... of all interesting, unusual occupations.

The action happening during Civil War days was another drawing point for me.

I think this is a sensitive portrayal of young Emma, and I enjoyed it immensely.

I look forward to reading more by this author.

Chris Shanley has once again proven herself to be a first-class writer of fiction for young people. Chris' new, exciting, novel, Finding My Light, is also a personal achievement since it traces the history of her own ancestors, the Truckeys, caught in the drama of the Civil War. It is the moving story of Emma, 16 year old daughter of Nelson Truckey, away fighting in the war, and Anastasia, her strong mother, who, with the help of their 3 children, becomes one of the first women lighthouse keepers on the Great Lakes. Their adventures prove to be a very compelling and gripping "can't put down" reading experience.
Most importantly, Chris gives a fine and sensitive portrait of a young woman coming into a sense of who she is. She inhabits her character Emma with a deep understanding of Emma's struggles; her pain and joy and her ultimate embracing of herself. Her story is told with wit, and a true compassion that will speak to the hearts and minds of all who journey with her in this delightful book.
---Reviewed by Gurprasad Khalsa

This book explains all things about aromatherapy: from its history, to how essential oils are distilled, to good aromatherapy "recipes" for many common problems. It also contains many ideas about how to help the treatments, or adminster them. Ms. Wildwood is incredibly thorough, and respectable in her suggestions about integrating this with traditional and alternative medicine.

A great resource for studying the basic principles of Aromatherapy. This book covers the body systems and body-mind-soul. Wonderful photos on massage using Aromatherapy; and beauty care, home and gardening are covered. Excellent diagrams, draws and graphs and a very useful glossary of medical terms. Needed book for serious study and use of essential oils.

The Encyclopedia of Aromatherapy by Chrissie Wildwood is one of the most complete guides to Aromatherapy. If you can only buy one book on the subject this would be the one. It includes many easy-to-follow guides and pictures. A beautiful book for the beginner and advanced Aromatherapy student.

This book contains brief descriptions of about 50 - 60 essential oils and while it does contain aromatherapy recipes for different conditions, they are not the focus of the book as the author believes that ultimately, you should follow your intuition when putting together aromatherapy blends. This is something that gets much easier with experience.

The book does have some interesting information like "Believe it or not, no two people can blend an identical-smelling fragrance, even though they may use exactly the same blend of oils in exactly the same quantities from the same bottles. Amazingly, the oil will always take on an spect of the blender's personality - their aromatic signature."

The book is divided in chapters, each dedicated to a different system in the body: circulatory, endocrine, nervous, muscular, etc. - each chapter beginning with a description of the funcitoning of a particular system, following by recommended oils that may be effective in optimizing that system.

One section of the book is dedicated to massage techniques and contains lots of color photographs to make the points clearer.

There is a chapter on proper nutrition, on yoga exercises (surya namaskar is illustrated as an example), meditation and even cleansing and strengthening your aura, as the author notes that aromatherapy can provide the best results as a part of holistic nurturing and care of your mind, body and spirit.

This is a great book with useful medical information about the transplant process as well as a heart warming account of the struggles of waiting for an organ donor and receiving a liver transplant. I could hardly put the book down after I started reading. Emotions and events are described so well that you feel you are part of the family and therefore part of the journey.

I recently read this book and found it to be a particularly moving experience, expressing a remarkable commitment between mother and son and family. Even though the topic illness is liver failure and liver transplant, I felt that thoughtfully reading The Gift of Life 2 would be very helpful to a family coping with any serious illness.
Sincerely,
Susan K. Farley

I was amazed and touched by this book. Well-written, thought-provoking and heart rending....you feel the triumph and tribulations of this family and their journey with each page!! You will definitely think very strongly about writing a living will and becoming an organ donor.

As the mother of a multiorgan transplant daughter, we were very fortunate to be under the care of Debbie Weppler and the transplant team at the University of Miami. My daughter recovered from a very difficult transplant by following Debbie Weppler's advice. If you or a loved one is facing a transplant, read this book so you will know what to expect. It will be a tremendous help for you and guide you through the process.

The Glaciers' Treasure Trove: A Field Guide To The Lake Michigan Riviera by Jacqueline Widmar Stewart is a full-color travel guide to the sights, lakes, vineyards, state parks and other attractions of the area. Locations, contact information, extensive descriptions and photographs on every page characterize and enhanced this exceptionally useful, on-the-go, "pocket portable" traveling companion. A spiral binding and sturdy allows this handy reference to weather extensive use while one enjoying the best a Lake Michigan vacation has to offer.

I really liked this book. I have been visiting the Indiana-Michigan shoreline on and off again since the 1950's. I never understood the area as a whole until I read this book. It is truly a first rate resource -whether you are planning a weekend excursion or the whole summer along this part of Lake Michigan. I especially liked the spiral binding and the easy to read maps. The colors are magnificent. It is just the right size to keep in your glove compartment. I ordered three copies and plan to pass them on to my friends.

Obviously a labor of love. A must have addition to the collection for the serious lover of "the dunes". Finely researched from an author who has been there, soon to become the definitive study of the area. Well written, glorious photgraphs, many by the author herself. It serves the first time visitor well, yet also enlightens the veteran repeat visitor or resident. A great gift idea.....

This book opens up a midwestern treasure spot that is not well-known to most Americans but deserves to be: the sand dunes and beaches that are around the bottom of Lake Michagan. I lived in that area years ago and this book does a great job telling the story of why the place so special. The history is told and developers' mistakes are not ignored. But mostly the book is about the present and what's there now: good living amidst tremendous beauty.

After reading it I've put it on a MRL (Must Read List). It was really Great !!!!! As I 've said in some of my other posts the Grass Ain't Greener It just the angle from which you see it !!!!

Author has written a book that deals with reality. The characters are so close to the reader's own family members, you can reach into the pages and touch each of them. Excellent host of characters and well developed story. Kudos to Ms. Gilmore! Looking forward to reading more books by this "best-kept-secret" author

Monique Gilmore you did an outstanding job using this story as an illustration to married couples who fall into the "burnout syndrome". To my reader commarades, if you are married with responsibilities of spouses, children, household chores and anything else that falls into the married life and at this moment, you feel the need to just run away from it all...This is an excellent book to read. Ms Gilmore uses her writing skills to demonstrate it defintely is not always greener on the other side. But it was necessary for both Ramona and Madrid to experience by on the job training and see it for themselves. Often times the words can not replace what you have to see, feel and experience for yourselves. In this story, Ramona finds out while visiting her family and old friends just how blessed she is to have a man like Madrid; also Madrid finds out first hand all the issues Ramona was telling him but just was not able to make him see it without him first experiencing it for himself. In the end it brought back understanding and romance back into this marriage also I feel it illustrated respect for each other. Thank you Monique for providing us with a story about the guts of marriage because mostly we get the stories that bring the couples together and it is refreshing that you gave us a story that gets to the heart of marriage and all the necessary tools to keep it together.

Not only is Monique Gilmore's The Grass Ain't Greener a must read for regular fans of romance novels, but the book will also prove to be valuable for those men and women who 'wouldn't be caught dead' reading 'those kinds of books.'

Ramona Shaw, the main character, is a married woman and former professional. After the birth of her son, Ramona elects to stay at home with her two children but after four years of working in the home, she is fed up with being taken for granted by the other family members. It is also not easy for Ramona to juggle graduate school coursework, household chores, raising two children, in addition to all the other stresses in her life, and Ramona realizes that she is TIRED!

Although she dearly loves her husband, handsome businessman Madrid Shaw, escalating tensions between the two prompt Ramona to take a week-long retreat from her New Jersey home for some "rest and relaxation" at her sister's house in Detroit. And in that week, Ramona goes through a series of profound and surprising experiences which lead to follow her heart back to where she belongs.

So, to sum up, Ms. Gilmore's story is definitely worth reading not once or twice but several times!

This book's strong points include a fast but evenly paced story line which brings up hard hitting issues pertinent to the Black/African-American community, and most importantly The Grass Ain't Greener shows the best of Black love and how important it is to keep working and communicating with one another-even after the honeymoon is over.

This guide has everything you need to know about the 2007 wolverines. Great pictures, great articles. I highly recommend it. Go Blue!

You get excited when you see the maize and blue helmet on the cover of a magazine. Then you quickly read through the 2 page review on Michigan.

Then you realize the rest is about Texas P&Q university.

Now imagine the whole magazine was on Michigan - well imagine no more - this is that magazine. Keep a copy by the toilet, at your desk, by your bed, on the beach.. wherever you like to read.

Plus - you are supporting MGoBlog - the best blog site on the net.

Brian has the PhD in Michigan football. Brilliant analysis combined with humor make this THE book to read.

Brian Cook knows Michigan football -- backwards and forwards. If Fielding Yost were alive, he and Brian would be trading notes. The section on the stretch play alone is worth the sales price. Anyone who doesn't own this book can't seriously claim to be a Michigan fan.

As an avid reader of sports books, a fan of WSU basketball, a native of the Palouse country in eastern Washington/Northern Idaho, and familiar with Jim McKean the player, I was quickly drawn to this book.

Little did I know that it would be so much more than sports, and I mean that in a good way. Perhaps the sub-title, "Growing Up in Sports" is a bit misleading, though it is appropriate. This book is about sports, but mostly about growing up, and in turn looking back on a life well-lived.

McKean, a polished poet, is quite the stylist as an essayist. His words flow oh so smoothly. His insights are tremendous. Whether talking about basketball, visiting an injuried Vietnam War veteran classmate, returning to Italy, growing up in Tacoma, playing for a volatile, yet loveable assistant coach, McKean doesn't miss a beat here.

Certainly one of the best books I've ever read.

i was sorry the book ended...only happens when i read good books! highly recommended for those who like insightful essays, about family life, the sporting life and poetry. waiting eagerly for the next segments .

Home Stand is a remarkable autobio, written with the unimpassioned look of a biographer and the heart of a poet. He creates absolutely no artifice as he takes the reader through his story. What this story has that most autobiographies do not have is bounce, a sense of active recall laced with the energy of sports. This is a must read for all lovers of basketball and all lovers of the finely-written literary piece.

At six foot nine or six foot ten, both figures are given in this book; the author was too tall for most occupations and too short to be an NBA center. Therefore, after a reasonably successful college career at Washington State University and a mediocre one as a professional player in Europe, McKean became a writer and a poet. In this book, he writes about his life and while his involvement in sports is the main theme, many other features of life are included.
The high point of his college career was when WSU played the mighty UCLA Bruins led by Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). As someone who watched Alcindor play in college, I can appreciate McKean's comments on how dominant Alcindor was. To simulate that dominance, in practice players would have three-foot long sticks taped to their arms or stand on chairs so that they could block shots. By far, my favorite stories were about former college basketball coach Jud Heathcote. Heathcote was the long-time coach of the Michigan State Spartans and so I have watched him coach many times. Heathcote is an in your face coach and McKean describes the time when he nearly punched Jud while Jud was emphatically making a point. Supposedly, a player once decked Jud, whose response was to get up and tell the player, "that's the most spirit you have shown all day." Despite their differences, when McKean asked Jud for tickets to a game in Iowa City, Jud was more than willing to comply, as long as "he didn't root for those other SOB's."
The Vietnam War is also an integral part of the story. Like all young men in the mid-sixties, McKean faced the prospect of being drafted and being shipped to Vietnam. He was fortunate that his height immediately disqualified him. Like nearly every young man of that era, one of his shorter friends did not share his good fortune, as he was blown to pieces by a land mine. Being a large man, McKean also faced some unusual prejudice. Some men considered his size to be an affront and felt the need to attack him and once a police officer dismissed an assault because "McKean was so much bigger than the assailant."
I enjoyed this book, McKean is an excellent storyteller and his material is interesting. So many sports books are interesting because they are of the tell-all form. This one is interesting because the tale is well told.

This is a perfect introduction to Homer in Greek. As described in another review, about 15-20 lines of Greek are on the left page, with copious vocabulary and grammatical notes to help one through. I'm sure one's experience will vary depending on how much previous Greek one has studied, but I found myself rarely going to the glossary to look up any words - the vocabulary words she chose to gloss were perfect for my level. And having the regular scansion notes is great, as well. I would highly recommend this volume to anyone interested in either dipping into Homeric Greek for the first time or in reviewing what they used to know.

This edition was a good choice for me, a beginner who had just finished an introductory class.

The notes on vocabulary, grammar, and allusions to mythology are on the same and the facing pages as the Greek. This eliminates flipping through a dictionary or the back of the book - although there is, in fact, a complete glossary in one of the appendices.

The editor includes "scanning notes" at the bottom of each page to help the uninitiated deal with dactylic hexameter. I found this very useful because my pronunciation is so bad and I really was not hearing the music of the poem.

There is a good bibliography and suggestions for further reading.

Finally, this edition limits itself to just one book of the entire poem. Arguably, Benner might be a more sensible choice to get more of the poem, but I found it much less daunting to deal with just the first book.

The size and style of the Greek text make it very readable. It is convenient that the notes are located on the same page as the text. This book is useful for a beginning Greek student or someone interested in reviewing (or resurrecting) ancient Greek. I was not satisfied with the commentary in the books introduction or the author's recommendations for further reading.

More advanced students will be sorely disappointed with this text, but it is a good way to review ancient Greek or to read an original work for the first time.

I have been a student of Greek for over a quarter century. In all that time I have never found a better aid for the study of Homer, whether as a beginner or for a review.

After a brief introduction and explanation of grammar, the student is brought into immediate and satisfying contact with the text of the Iliad. Ms. Draper provides a dozen or so lines of the Greek text on the left-hand page, followed by a line by line vocabulary help and occasional commentary which flows over, as needed, to the right-hand page. She also includes an explanation of any difficult scansion. As a cherry on top, she adds a concise, user-friendly glossary at the back of the book. It is altogether usable.

I have my copy and have been recommending this book to students and friends.

My dad was one of the "Sheridan Street Rats" who grew up with Bill Dunlop, so I heard many stories from him over the years that were also told in the book. I would often listen to my dad tell stories that involved Bill, so his name was very familiar to me when I finally had a chance to first meet him a couple of years ago. The book is very engaging and paints a very vivid picture of life in an Indian neighborhood in Northern Lower Michigan during the Depression.

This true story of Depression life in Hungry Hollow in Petoskey, Michigan is compelling and heartfelt. Bill Dunlop writes as well as the young Hemingway, who lived in the same town. The many adventures of the young boys that were friends are as captiving as in the movie "Stand by Me." You will have difficulty putting down this book.

As a kid, this book was a perfect reading level for me. It wasn't to hard. I would say that readers of all ages can read this. Sometimes it was very sad and gloomy and other times it was halarious. It shows how love was so important in the days of the great depresion. Non-indians were so cruel to the Indians those days.
I have met the author myself. He seems to be a very kind man. I just cant see how he made it through all the things that happened.
Again I recomend this book to all ages. i guarentee you will like it.

A beautiful book. Anyone reading Mr. Dunlop's introduction and the first chapter, "Boxcar Blues," will be hooked. In that chapter Mr. Dunlop tells how his father organized the young boys to collect bottles with caps, clean them and fill them with spring water to pass out to families riding box-cars seeking work during the depth of the Depression. His voice speaks with compassion, grace and a dignity that seems increasingly rare today.
Although the stories are told from the point of view of a young boy growing up poor and Indian during the Depression in a small northern Michigan town, the themes of community and sharing are universal. This is as much a story about man's best instincts as it is about the individuals in Hungry Hollow.

I discovered this book through my Aunt Delini from MI. There is a picture in the book we swear is of my grandparents (her parents). Being Italians from MI, currently living in AZ, and having my father Frank grow up in Detroit and attend Nativity Church, which I did as a child, was so nostalgic seeing the pictures and reading the stories. I bought a copy for myself, both of my daughters, a brother and a friend. I was happy to be able to pass down the history to my daughters.My aunts frequented the Cabota Club, Eastern Market EVERY WEEK and memories of sitting on those big front porches brought back a lot of memories for all of us. Those were the good old days!! Jeanette Jacokes

This book was a joy for me. It featured many places from my hometown and brought back wonderful memories. This would be a great gift for anyone of Italian descent who grew up in Detroit.

This is a great pictorial essay of the Italian Immigrant Experience in Detroit. Armando Delicato takes your hand and walks you through the Immigration process. Once settled in Detroit he invites you through the Churches, the Arts, the People, and the Future of Italian/American's in Detroit. The abundance of photographs brings this history to life. I highly recommend this book to anyone with strong roots or interest in the Italian heritage.

This book is for anyone interested in how their cultural heritage enriches their lives. It is a meaningful book regardless of whether you're from Detroit or whether you're Italian.