Michigan Books

You don't need to be of Italian descent or from Michigan to enjoy this delightful collection of short stories from new author Joe Borri. While Joe's a very talented graphic designer, he's even more adept with the written word, bringing to life a variety of entertaining characters and situations we all can identify with. Joe's easy, humorous style and straight-forward storytelling skill makes this book a very enjoyable read. If you like the crazy South Florida stories of Carl Hiaasen or the Margaritaville-inspired stories of Jimmy Buffett, as I do, give Joe's book a shot. You'll be glad you did!

I thought this book might be interesting because it was written by a Detroit Native and is about this city we live in and around. Little did I know that I would pick it up one night figuring I'd thumb through it and read the entire thing in one sitting!!
Eight Dogs Named Jack and 14 Other Stories from the Detroit Streets and Michigan Wilderness marks the writing debut of Michigan artist Joe Borri, who is employed at Skidmore Inc., a studio in Royal Oak, Mich. This collection of short stories is inspired by the East Side Detroit neighborhood where he grew up and its predominantly Italian denizens. It's very easy to read, and keeps you flipping the pages till you're done.
Some books I pick up, read a few chapters and put down, only to never finish them again. The coolest thing about this book is each chapter is its own story. Some of the chapters I really wanted to hear more about, maybe delve into them a little deeper, so I would keep reading the next chapter thinking it would lead into the story deeper, but it would just start another one and get me hooked into that new character.
Joe Borri has a great way of describing the scene. You can picture the street, you can feel the warm breeze blowing on your face, you neck tightens up when he talks about a certain fight, and you need to make another drink when he describes the beautiful ladies the Wiseguys try to work over.
Many of the stories are set in the gritty streets of Detroit, where wiseguys and wannabes walk a thin line between good and evil. Some of these characters work their way "up north," where their street smarts are tested against the immutable forces of nature and the country folk who try and do things a little differently.
The stories are blended together perfectly and this book would be great to bring along on that next flight. You can pick it up anywhere and start fresh. Or you can read it from cover to cover like I did, and finish off a bottle of Scotch while enjoying some of the best writing I've read in years!!

Pat Bonish
www.everymilesamemory.com

Expect the wonderfully unexpected when Goodfellas wannabes meet the Michigan Great Outdoors. With Eight Dogs Named Jack Borri demonstrates that he is a writer who possesses a rare combination of original vision, keen insight and an ability to combine humor and tragedy in striking ways. Many of the stories feature tough characters engaged in battles, physical and psychological, but Borri is not a one-trick pony. Several of my favorite stories in the collection feature characters who are wholly vulnerable and wholly real, and I found myself so engrossed in their struggles that I yearned for their salvation. Borri does not disappoint. Keep your eye on this writer.

This is a collection of short stories written by a native of East Detroit. The stories all take place in Michigan and are outstanding.

I loved this book! The short story format was perfect for this collection of stories from Detroit's east side and "Up North" Michigan. The hunting stories reminded me of tales my dad would tell from his hunting cabin, "The Hot Dog Lodge", and the stories of growing up on Detroit's east side took me back to a time when you could pick up a Vernors at the corner party store and walk into the hardware store and get any tool you needed to finish a job--on credit, no less.
Joe Borri paints a vivid picture with his words and I don't believe I have read a better debut. I cannot wait for more stories from this fresh, new writer.

I started reading this book to learn more about Florida's environmental issues and never expected to learn so much or enjoy it so much. Living in a place that has few water issues I was shocked to realize what has been and is going on in much of the rest of the country. The sad thing about this wonderfully researched and well written book is it shows another area in which out government is failing to protect the people and environment of the US. It also shows the difficult balance between quick and easy economic stimulus and the high cost in other areas.

Cynthia Barnett is a journalist with a passion for the environment. A native Floridian, she has seen the change that those of us who have spent our lives in this state, have watched come too quickly. Once a tangle of marsh and woods, dotted with urban outcroppings, Florida has become a vast jigsaw puzzle of urban and suburban sprawl. Water, once considered too plentiful, is becoming a scarce commodity here...the focus of battles which are already beginning. To those not yet to the battlefield, Mirage sheds light on the problems we are creating by our lack of foresight. To those already leading the charge, it is a guidebook filled with data to show both the damage we have already caused and that which we will continue to cause if chganges aren't made. Mirage is also a call to action. Those who care can make a difference that will save Florida for future generations.

Outstanding book. It shows us how we let our environment get downgraded and is an important weapon for preventing further damage. Amazon price was good and service great.

Mirage is a work of science and passion. The writer has focused on that most important, scarce, and necessary resource: fresh water. She explores the political decisions and the business decisions that have affected the water supply in Florida and the rest of the East Coast of the United States. Her research is extensive; her prose is crisp; and her cause is sanity in the management of growth. I recommend this book for any reader who has an interest in science, nature, or business.

A very thoughtful, well-written book that delves into the science, history and politics of water in Florida and manages to do so in an interesting and readable manner. Cynthia Barnett clearly indentifies the problems and offers reasonable solutions without becoming judgemental or dogmatic. A must read for anyone living in the State of Florida or planning to do so and highly recommended for everyone else!

Classic writing of the foundation of nursing by Miss Nightgale. Guides the nurse in her duties to the profession and her and the ward.

Florence Nightingale greatly influenced modern nursing, to focus on the needs of the patient and establish nursing as a profession requiring assessment skills as well as caring presence. This brief, well-written & clearly understandable book is a must for the personal library of any nurse or nursing student. It is amazing to realize how advanced Nightingale's thinking was in her era; her lessons remain essential today and provide a basis for understanding why we do the things we do. A great read for anyone interested in nursing!

I received the book within a few days of the order and it was in perferct condition.

A book for true Nightingales! I enjoyed this book a great deal, some parts had me laughing out loud. It is an excellent gift book for nurses!

This makes a wonderful gift for a nursing student who is graduating, a nurse who is retiring or one who is being promoted. It is fascinating reading from a historical aspect will be relevant until the end of time.

This book captured the special feelings about Walloon Lake that only one who had spent all one's life there could know. I was surprised to see that Ms. Rosewall was not closer to my age (63) as she enjoyed so many of the places that I did, which unfortunately are no longer there. One of the reviewers compared it to Lake Woebegon, but to me, there is no such similarity. I still feel the same way about the lake when we visit. The lake itself is a memory bank.

Sparkle Island is a touching recollection of multi-general stories that hark back to a slower paced yesteryear, when life was filled with tales and all one had to do was sit back and listen. From Ernest Hemingway Sat Here, Lost in the Lake, and A Boat is a Hole You Pour Money Into, to Gimme That Old Time Religion, Cheap Thrills, and I'll Gladly Pay You Tuesday for a Memory Today, Ellen Rosewall's short stories and vignettes are entertaining, occasionally insightful, often humorous, thoroughly engaging, and highly recommended.

For anyone who has returned to a summer place year after year "Sparkle Island" is a must. Ellen Rosewall lets us inside her own family and her own world. It is very refreshing. I visited Walloon Lake two summers ago and it was exactly the way Ellen pictured it.

For a died in the wool Buckeye, it was hard to imagine that a book about a place in that State up North that we all love to hate could be so warm and wonderful. Ellen Rosewall's special spirit and keen insights, however, clearly illuminate the joys of love, life and Wallon Lake. Being invited to share her obviously close, loving and spiritual family in such an intimate way, made Sparkle Island a truely heart warming experience!

Sparkle Island is a wonderfully crafted, winsome revery of summer. The stories evoke summers from my childhood and gave a West Coast gal a taste of mid-west wonders. This read aloud book had me alternately howling (Bats, And a boat is....) and touched by the sweetness of shared family treasures. Our first read of this wonderful book of essays was on a boat. We joined Ellen Rosewall's family as we drifted through our own Sparkle Islands. Read this book aloud to everyone!

Hello, I am 21 years old and attend University Of Wisconsin, Madison and have found this book to be delightful in every aspect. The Author of this book, who I would love to meet, uses creativity in his writings rather well. I can relate to this book because I have been to Horton Bay, Michigan. For all of you who have not visited Michigan and who have not read this book, please do, you will find it outstanding.

a heartwarming and "fun loving" book; however, the two additional great bonus stories ("The Last Frontier," and "Once a Man, Twice a Child," had me crying all the way to the end. They were good tears though, the kind that cleanse the soul and make you feel all better when the reading is done and the book is closed.

Author Ted Walker seems to have picked up where Ernest Hemingway tales of the area left off. This is "must read" for those who enjoy Northern Michigan's colorful and charming personalities.

For any of you traveling this summer to Horton Bay (yes, it is a real place) stop in the Horton Bay General Store and hear about Ernest and Ted first hand from the locals who have been known, to "chew the fat" with strangers. If you plan to visit in the fall, catch the annual Ernest Hemingway Festival. Information on this can be found by writing the Chamber of Commerce Petoskey, Michigan 49770.

P.S. In the current issue of National Geographic Traveler, I understand their is an excellent interview with Ted Walker regarding Horton Bay and his unforgettable book, "We Eat Our RoadKill."

This book is great. It is silly, but very funny, and a good way to get an easy, clean laugh. The surprising bonus are the two short stories at the end of the book. These short stories are some of the best I've read and that includes Hemingway, who spent his summers in Horton Bay.

Teddy's at his best with the high jinx of the Horton Bay crowd. A must read for those who like lite,ironic humor. An ernest Hemingway in his own mind. tom erber

I met the author at a signing in Boyne City. Ted, do you go anywhere else for signings? We wouldn't want you getting too worldly now, we need Volume II and don't want you getting ruined in the outside world. It's a funny book, and every word is true. He is NOT exaggerating! If you read this book and don't think it's funny, it can only be because you are FROM northern Michigan. Otherwise, I think you'll get a big chuckle.

"The Bachelor of Arts" is the second of a thematic trilogy that begins with "Swami and Friends" and ends with "The English Teacher"--three novels that collectively take their characters from the innocence of youth through the disappointment of love to life's first tragedy. Yet this tale of Chandran, a college graduate unlucky in love, is (as Graham Greene notes in his introduction) "a funny and happy book" at its core--particularly when compared to Narayan's later melancholy, tragic books--yet a closer reading shows us the "shadow [that] had been there from the beginning."

The first part of "Bachelor" is an unexpected treat: a farcical, satirical look at the sillier, exhausting rituals of academic life in colonial India. The opening scene features a debate on whether "historians should be slaughtered first"--and Chandran, a history student himself, is required to argue in the affirmative. From there, our poor student is appointed by his professor as secretary of the school's new Historical Association, an honor that adds to his duties but hardly helps his studies. In between, he frequents the cinema with his best friend and dutifully maps out a grand plan for exam preparation--a plan that is revised daily due to the impossibility of following it.

The debate society, his friends, his academic career--all has been poor preparation for life's setbacks. ("The classroom or the club or the office created friendships. When the circumstances changed the relations, too, snapped.") The giddiness of the novel takes a sharp turn when the circumstances do change: Chandran falls in love at first sight and is rejected, causing him to cast aside the comforts of life and to leave home. The rest of the novel follows our Bachelor of Arts (still a bachelor in life) as he educates himself about the one subject neglected during his collegiate career: himself. It's such a simple and simply told story, but it illustrates beautifully the complexities of finding one's place in the world.

A very pleasant and interesting look at the life of a young man in South Asia. Only moderately engaged by his studies at the university, Chandran spends most of his time going to movies, staying out late, drinking at the café, and generally socializing with his friends. With some prodding from his father, he overcomes his laziness sufficiently to graduate, only to find his problems just beginning.

Chandran's predicament should be very familiar to many readers. Bright and charismatic, but lacking any real focus, he has difficulty finding employment. Upon graduation his peer group separates, and he needs to make new friends. And his parents, who are only eager to see him make something of himself, can't help but find fault with his carefree, unproductive lifestyle. What's a Bachelor of Arts to do? His unrequited love for a young girl named Malathi makes for an interesting look at how courting was handled in traditional Indian families not so many decades ago, complete with horoscopes and dowries and class consciousness. But ultimately, isn't it the couples' willingness to commit to each other that matters, and not how they happen to meet? Every bit as fascinating is Chandran's sojourn as an ascetic, which is reminiscent of a Hermann Hesse novel, but with a uniquely critical perspective that only a native Indian could provide.

Narayan's prose has a warm serenity that never fails to evoke small-town South Asia. What his plots lack in excitement and intensity, they make up for in geniality. This particular novel has perhaps a little more excitement than some of the others, and would be a good entry point for young people just discovering Narayan.

The story of Chandran, a final-year student of History, on how love tranforms ambitions, alters goals and changes lives is the theme of this wonderful book.

Written masterfully with just the right amounts of comedy, emotions and twists, and teeming with sarcasm characteristic of Narayan, this book takes a broad look at values and customs. For example, the long scenes wheres discussion about horoscopes and Chandran's disagreement with his mother are all so very close to life in India.

A great book, an excellent read....

I could identify with the main character as he completed his studies and began moving into the 'real' world. His spiritual journey, though not complete at the books end, was very interesting. The (paraphrased) line "they thought they were the first of their type and the last..", referring to his radical friends from his university days, struck a chord. We all slowly realize that our own well-used mold was indeed not broken after they made us. More followed. Alas, we all take our place in society and make the best of it.

Simply written and easy to read. I recommend it.

I have read and liked R K Narayan's works in the past. I picked this one up just based on the fact that it was written by him. It was not recommended to me by anyone. And honestly i am so glad i did.
The main character is a student just out of undergrad and facing the decision of what ahead. In a very straight and simple manner Narayan portrays the character's struggles with choosing a career and then his foray into love. Its simple and yet extraordinary. BTW for those expecting a dramatic ending, don't. This book just ends. I had to turn the page to realise its finished :-)

Blue ice is an impressive book that will be enjoyed by anyone interested in collegiate-level athletics, particularly ice hockey. Bacon is a gifted writer with the ability to interweave historical facts and objective (always informative and often funny) stories that keep the reader entertained. It is a great buy for folks that love factually based stories.

An easy read, that's about much more then just the game of hockey. This book delves into the tradition and character of Michigan and it's hockey program. Blue Ice is a must read for anyone interested in Michigan athletics, is familiar with the Ann Arbor hockey community, or just loves the game of hockey.

A must-read for hockey lovers! Whether you like Michigan Hockey or any other team, this book is for you. Bacon makes this history story of the Wolverine skaters extremely fun and joyous reading. If you are a Michigan fan, you'd enjoy reading all the details and stories; if you (so wrongly) chose another team to cheer -- you'll become curious as to its own history.
I especially loved the parts of the book (which I consider as "Hockey chanting for Idiots") detailing the rich content and background behind some of what you hear in Yost Ice arena. After reading it, watching the games was so much more fun!

The idea is simple. Write an engaging story recounting the coming of age of a first class collegiate hockey program and spice it with behind the scene details, locker room interviews and humorous anecdotes. The execution is outstanding. Blue Ice takes the reader on a very enjoyable trip looking at the beginnings of college hockey at the University of Michigan, from playing outdoors on the frozen Huron River, to the recent trips that Wolverine skaters have made to the Frozen Four championships. The bonus for readers is getting a sports version of "Connections," with the athletic stories enveloped and intertwined in the history of the time, showing how seemingly unrelated events can influence each other. Easy and entertaining to read, delightful to give as a gift, when it was over, we wanted a sequel.

This is a very informative and insightful look into the rich tradition of Michigan Hockey. The writing is tremendous with great personal interviews with former players and coaches and other people well connected to the program. I loved the off-the-ice stories the most. It is not abook about statistics and generic history. Bacon digs deep into the people involved in the program and relays their stories in a way that makes you feel like you are part of it. You get right inside the locker room, classroom and team parties as well. It is a very easy read and always keeps you entertained.

The Blue Yonder Inn by Helen Campbell is a thoroughly "reader engaging" novel about a mother's struggle to keep her ill-tempered teenage niece out of trouble. Their gradual coming to terms with one another, amid the backdrop of the family business - a pay-by-the-hour roadside motel that depends upon airmen, prostitutes, and visitors to the state penitentiary for its clientele - evolves through the turbulence of an extended voyage of discovery and more, in this sometimes sardonic, sometimes heartwarming look at the effort it takes to forge true family ties. The Blue Yonder Inn is a deftly written and highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library contemporary fiction collections.

This book is highly entertaining and a very quick read. For a great view of life in West Texas in a different time in history, check this out!

Tired of the same old character cliches? Sick of the same old plots? Well, drive yourself over to the Blue Yonder Inn where you'll meet a memorable assortment of oddballs whose resumes aren't exactly worth a second call. Bonnie Blue, the down-and-out protagonist, leaves Blackie, her baby, in a wheelbarrow outside the Blue Yonder Inn and heads out on her own hero's journey. On the run from her good-for-nothing husband Gil, Bonnie meets up with more curious folk - some unsavory, some endearing. This story is sharp, fast paced, and has well drawn characters. Helen Campbell's biting wit makes even the most tragic of circumstances humorous. You'll find yourself laughing and sympathizing with people you might otherwise avoid completely.

Helen Campbell scores again! Just as Turnip Blues was too hilarious to put down, so the character development in The Blue Yonder Inn makes you not want to quit reading until the end. Though the central story of Bonnie Blue, Blackie, and Darnelle covers but a brief span of time, you are transported back and forth through the generations of their family and friendships resulting in a panoramic encounter that seems all so familiar. Campbell writes with such detail and clarity that the reader's emotions are continuously engaged. You want to hold Blackie in your arms, punch out Gil, and share a bourbon with Darnelle.

This is a wonderful novel, easy to read and hard to put down --staying in my mind ever since I did finally put it down, sad to finish it.
A surprising book, because the heroine, Bonnie Blue, is a [weak person] if ever there was one -- and yet there's something about the way Campbell describes this young woman that made me care about her, and the sad and difficult life she leads, and the people around her, particularly her wayward uncles and enterprising aunt. Authentic, funny, poignant, insightful -- Campbell's novel doesn't shy away from the ugly truth about the underside of American society -- as it was in the 60s in Texas -- but you'll end the book feeling joyous rather than depressed, trust me.

"This World War II hometown adventure ranges from German P.O.W.'s to squirrel hunting to a tour of Chicago in the celebration of American values and true heroes."

Cottonwood Fall, like Gary Slaughter's highly acclaimed Cottonwood Summer, tells its story similarly to the method of "To Kill a Mockingbird," using the eyes and fertile imaginations of children to tell us what World War II in a small midwestern town was like. We are taken through their day-to-day adventures and learn much about how the people of Riverton accomplished their work. Those of us who are old enough to remember the period are cleverly reminded of a period when phones had numbers like 284 Blue and farm children learned early how to handle teams of horses. I'm sure the younger readers will enjoy their first exposure to this period.

This novel is not a lightweight, but is a significant, well-researched work that for the first time that I know of documents entertainingly much of the history of the World War II period and the largely overlooked experiences of those who remained at home.

Cottonwood Fall by Gary Slaughter is an especially engaging biographical novel recalling a vivid depiction of America during the difficult year of 1944. Slaughter's unique writing style is sure to consume the readers attention as Cottonwood Fall follows two ten-year-old boys through their adventures in a small town, Riverton Michigan, as they encounter vengeful POWs, Thomas E. Dewey and FDR. Cottonwood Fall is highly recommended to the general reader, especially those intrigued by the post-World War II lifestyle of the American citizen. Also a highly recommended book by Gary Slaughter is the prelude to Cottonwood Fall, Cottonwood Summer.

After reading Cottonwood Summer, I wondered just how Mr. Slaughter would keep the continuity flowing with Cottonwood Fall, but the transition was flawless. Although there were many more characters introduced in this second book, Mr. Slaughter has a way of introducing them that makes it easy to follow the storyline.

Besides being very entertaining, Cottonwood Fall is a bit of a history lesson of the post WWII era that is fun.

I liked this book.... a lot.

Slaughter tells another wonderfully light hearted story of mid-American families as they cope with life during WWII. The story line excites while we discover how very different life was only 60 years ago. History books should be so entertaining!

Of all the books dealing with the subject of local TV, FROM SOUPY TO NUTS!: A HISTORY OF DETROIT TELEVISION is my favorite. Naturally, the fact that I grew up in Detroit makes me the perfect audience for this volume.

This book brought back a flood of wonderful memories. So many names, so many programs. Kid-show hosts (Soupy Sales, Johnny Ginger, Jerry Booth, etc.), horror-movie hosts (Sir Graves Ghastly, The Ghoul, Morgus the Magnificent, Count Scary), newscasters and reporters, sportscasters, weathercasters, etc. -- they're all here, and plenty of others, including some unsung behind-the-scenes personnel.

I had tears in my eyes reading the chapter devoted to the pro wrestlers who were my childhood heroes: Dick the Bruiser, The Sheik, Fritz Von Erich, Johnny Valentine, Bobo Brazil, and others. In later years, I got to know some of these guys, and they were friendly and cordial -- not at all like their violent, rough-and-tumble public images.

I give this book my highest recommendation.

I purchased this book for my brother's 60th birthday- having grown up in Detroit- thought it would be a great walk down memory lane. He called me when he received the gift and absolutely gushed- loved every entry. Now, i may have to buy a copy for ME. thanks

My mom wanted this book for Christmas. I read some parts of it and found it very intersting. So many people that I recall from my childhood. Good book.

Wow - What a great book! I bought it as a gift but will have to get a copy for my personal library. It was wonderful to read about the television personalities from my youth along with the other Detroit notables that this book covers. It even had the words to some of the commercial jingles that we used to sing along with. Having moved away from Detroit several years ago, I had often wondered what happened to a lot of the people I grew up watching on TV and this book answered those questions. If you were a Detroit kid in the 50's or 60's, I highly recommend that you get a copy of this book and take a stroll back to your childhood.

This is a MUST READ for anyone who lived in Detroit in the 50's and 60's. Nostalgia reigns as the authors comprehensively share information on television favorites such as Bill Kennedy, Captain Jolly and Poopdeck Paul, Milky the Clown and more. Loved it.