Ohio Books

The publishing of Gerald Shapiro's book Little Men is a built-in pro-argument for university publishing houses (in this case: Ohio State University). Will this book comprised of a couple of novellas as well as short stories make money? Who knows? First principles first: Publish!

As hilarious as the opening novella A Box Of Ashes, is with a laugh-a-minute (you can time yourself on this) pacing; it is the closing novella Spivak in Babylon that hit this reader with especial poignancy. In the story's closing pages, Mr. Shapiro doesn't tie-up in a neat bow, the dirty deeds chronicled about Leo Spivak. Instead he opts for a utterly realistic 'how-it-is'and 'how-it-it'will-be' when you go down that road to perdition and betrayal of everything/anything dear to your life.

I read a lot of Jewish American fiction. And most of it is either too Jewish or too literary for my taste. But this collection reminds me of the smart and funny stuff written by Philip Roth, Bernard Malamud, Bruce Friedman and Joseph Epstein. The stories explore modern Jewish male angst, guilt and sex, imperfect pasts, presently impossible relatives and there's even some Eighties style drug use. In short, they're contemporary without being terminally hip. Worth your time and money.

Littsie of Cincinnati is on my fourth and fifth graders' favorite books list. It offers a great family story, vivid characters, a young girl's very big adventure, and a historical view of Cincinnati in the 1830's. My students love the story so much that they're hoping it will be made into a movie. I recommend the book to children 8-12 and to all adults, especially teachers of Ohio history. It's a memorable adventure!

This is a great story, well researched and entertaining. I loved it, and used it in my classroom!

Original published in 1856 as the first general reference available on the subject of American riverboats, this superbly reprinted edition from Land Yacht Press of Lloyd's Steamboat Directory And Disasters On The Western Waters features a new introduction by Gregory G. Poole and is a wonderful contribution to the history of American steamboating. Highly recommended, long out of print, Lloyd's Steamboat Directory And Disasters On The Western Waters will prove invaluable to students of steamboating, American river travel, and histories of the American frontier.

The best part of American history, as far as I'm concerned, is the history of paddlewheel steamboats. We knew that many of them sunk, but this book tells you HOW they sunk, and where. If you're a steamboat lover, this book will fill in the gaps for you. It has about 100 illustrations of steamboat disasters and maps, an index of boats, and an informative introduction to the new edition. Highly recommended supplement to the steamboat bible: Fred Way's Packet Directory.

Lynn V Andrews books are a good read. They are interesting and well-written. I recommend all of them - let your mind fly ... great read

This book recounts Lynn's real adventure into her spirit marriage and meetings with other medicine women in Nepal. Her writing style evokes a novel -- but in your heart you KNOW it's real. You KNOW that you chose this book to teach you about yourself and your relationships. It was the first of her books I read, and now I must read THEM ALL. It is the first book I've read about any relationship that gave me a tool to gain peace about my own relationships.

I am a student at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, OH, where Norman Krumholz is a full-time professor. In 1994, I had the pleasure of taking an urban studies class that he taught. I enjoyed the class so much that I went on to take other urban studies classes, and eventually changed my major from journalism to urban planning. Dr. Krumholz is a brilliant man, and a gifted orator. His class had such a profound impact on me. I ended up on a completely different career path because of his teachings. It's rare to find someone so dedicated to social equality. I highly recommend anything he's written.

Krumholz describes a planning experience that is so instructive that it will alter the way we look at professional planning forever. His experiences are documentations of persistence, triumph, defeat, and victory.

I highly recommend it, especially for residents of the Cincinnati Arch who enjoy geologic history.

I highly recommend it, especially for residents of the Cincinnati Arch who enjoy geologic history.

I bought my first house in October 05 and I wanted beautiful spring and summer flowers. The property had roses and several other perennials. I needed a book that would help this beginner know what to do with what was already there as well as help me add new plants and flowers. I reviewed 25 gardening books from my library network last spring. This was by far my favorite. It gives you all the things you should know for lots of different flowers and plants and lets you know things you should be doing each month...like plant, prune, fertilize, etc. There are two versions of this book the original and this revised version. The revised costs a little more but there are color pictures in this edition as well as a much better layout in general. To me the newer edition was worth every extra penny and is the only one that I actually purchased out of all the books I reviewed. A must have for any Ohio gardener.

A very thorough and well organized guide. It not only tells you what to do but helps you frame the questions you should be asking. Highly recommended.

This is one of those books that is always on my nightstand. It seems that every month I am rereading a chapter or two. For anyone who lives in Ohio and enjoys nature and being outside, this is the book to have. The editorial review by publisher's weekly is ridiculous as Magpie Rising was not written by the same man. Merrill C. Gilfillan was a retired 35-year employee of the Ohio Division of Wildlife and sadly passed away in July of 1996. Someone needs to do their research before posting such a unfair review.

This little gem of a book by Merrill Gilfillan is truly magnificent. He describes the flora and fauna of Ohio in all its variety with simplicity and grace. Reading this book, makes one more appreciative of the wonders of nature around us of which we are all too often unaware. Gilfillan believes that one should be atuned to the rhythm of the seasons as the Indians were--thus the books emphasis on the Indian names for each month. After I was done reading "Moods of the Ohio Moons," I was more cognizant of the fragility of nature and how precious is our natural environment.

My mom is a avid reader and has read the series. She will probably read them again, |But she has a question about the quilt that hangs in Indiana. She would like to see it. Could you tell me where it is at. She is a quilter still at 86. Thank you Ann Bingham

The book interested me initially because it was about McClures written by a McClure. I was quite amazed at how closely it resembled my own McClure family's saga. I would very much like to discuss it with the author if she reads these reviews.

NEW ENGLANDERS ON THE OHIO FRONTIER is a witty and scholarly chronicle about migration to Ohio in 1802 for 41 families (settlers, not speculators) from Connecticut and Massachusetts. The McCormicks have used an unusually rich store of primary data to document the transformation of life in Ohio. Into the wilderness these settlers came with an elegant town plat which included a village green, Episcopal church, a school, and a subscription library, and within 10 years attained material culture which matched or surpassed that left in the Northeast. This case study ends in 1836 just after Worthington's incorporation. The McCormicks are scholars who write beautifully and this very accessible, colorful history ends too soon. The reader is primed for a sequel.

"New Englanders on the Ohio Frontier" is more than a history of the founding and settlement of Worthington, Ohio, and subsequently, its impact on the development of Columbus, Ohio. It is the fascinating study of how migration into the Ohio frontier was not accomplished by adventurous individuals in buckskin, but by a well-organized and well-led company of settlers from Connecticut and Massachusetts with a definite purpose in mind. It demonstrates how their New England culture was transplanted into the Ohio wilderness and how it continues to influence the modern city. Virginia E. and Robert W. McCormick have written a scholarly but very readable text on local history. I highly recommend it on many levels. Paul Watkins, Worthington, Ohio