Ohio Books

"Showboat Summer" is the third book in Rosamond Du Jardin's series about the Howard twins. Pam and Penny Howard get to take an exciting class aboard a showboat. They get to learn all about putting on plays and they experience the magic of life on a real showboat. Because living with a lot of people is not easy, there are bound to be personality clashes which call for compromises and adjustments. One person in particular makes life very hard for Pam. During the course of the trip, Penny and Pam learn a lot about unders-tanding, compassion, and ultimately, how to forgive. Pam also makes an important decision about her future. It is wonderful to see Penny and Pam evolve as mature young women. At the end of "Showboat Summer" a crises arises that could endanger everyone on board. In each novel in the series, the Howard twins grow up a little bit more. The twins, their grandmother, and their mother Celia learn about the pain of loss and eventually, how to open their hearts to love again. Through the course of these novels, it is clear that their mother has raised them very well. The final book in the series about the Howard twins is called "Double Weding." Look for my review!

This book provides an excellent, (annotated) first-person narrative by an early polar explorer. The annotation provides just enough supplementary material to provide context and clarification for the modern reader, without interrupting Charles Wright's voice. The illustrations are really marvelous.

Having read the book about five years ago, I don't remember a great deal of detail, but one moment stands out: Wright describes, off-handedly, waking up in a sleeping bag soaked by a puddle of ice that melted as he slept on it. Anyone who has spent the night in a drenched, cold sleeping bag knows how hard a person you have to be to take such a thing as a matter of course.

(I should mention that I am the son of the editor of this book, so my views are perhaps not entirely unbiased.)

was a most singluar religious community. German Heritage in Origin, the Zoarites built a sustaining communal soiciety in Tuscarawas Country, Ohio and flourished there as a community until the end of the 19th century; when they disbanded. The Ohio Historical Society owns over half of the remaining original buildings that the Zoarites built and has lovingly restored them to their original beauty. This book documents the story of Zoar and the people who lived there. Beautiful black and white pictures show the rich architectural heritage and glimpses of the original people of this community.

I owned a historic home in this village for several years. If you have time to visit this historical site it will be well worth your time. I highly recommend this book.

This book is based on fieldwork among 13 clandestine and legal parties of the left in Brazil, and in the Catholic Church on the issue of liberation theology. The Church is an important part of the Workers Party or P.T., whose founder Lula (Luis Inacio da Silva) is now President of Brazil.
This book maps out the ideologies and policies of the left parties, and the bitter conflict within the Church over its mission to the poor. The author ran some risks to get this data and it is a really interesting look at Brazilian politics from the inside.

This book was excellent. Not only is it historically accurate, but also impossible to put down. Lawler researched the topic heavily, and she also managed to include roughly 100 interviews with the Tirailleurs. It is a shocking and astounding view of World War II, which most military historians are probably not aware of. In her brillant narrative, she lets the words of the soldiers speak for themselves. Also, she is able to combine their words with a picture of the larger situation. She includes evidence from archival documents, newspapers, and from the works of her fellow scholars. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in finding out a little more truth about the Allied forces in WWII.

Great novel about the settling of the west. This was one of Zane Grey's best!

Splendid Pages: The Molly And Walter Bareiss Collection Of Modern Illustrated Books is a remarkable tribute to the Molly and Walter Bareiss Collection of Modern Illustrated Books, the foundation of the singular and remarkable collection of Book Arts at the Toledo Museum of Art where author Julie Mellby is a curator. Full-color photographs of timeless books along with essays and insights regarding the collection make this a most unique and inspirational artbook showcasing the great books of this impressive collection and their unique illustrations. Splendid Pages is ardently commended to the attention of bibliophiles and academia.

As co-editor of the massive Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, John J. Grabowski - and co-editor David D. Van Tassel - set an indelible mark in chronicling the city's history. Sports in Cleveland: An Illustrated History, is an offshoot of the encyclopedia which delves into the history of amateur and pro sports from 1796-1990.

In 145 pages of text that is supplemented by numerous photographs, Grabowski explores the popular sleigh races down Euclid Avenue in the winter months of the 1800s to the plans for the then-named Gateway Stadium project.

There are famous athletes and coaches - Madeline Manning, Harrison Dillard, Jesse Owens, Jim Brown, Larry Doby and John McLendon - the infamous events like Dime Beer Night and gems that may have been forgotten over time - businessman Coburn Haskell invented the modern golf ball in 1899 and a pair of hall of fame tennis players, Martina Navratilova and Bjorn Borg, played for the Nets in World Team Tennis.

The photographs include harness racing at Glenville Track in the early 1900s, a late 1940s "Bowling Institute" instructional seminar at Benedictine High School, roof-top tennis at the Central YWCA in 1956 and a 1980 practice of the Cleveland Brewers of the Women's Professional Football League.

The book truly captures an important richness that must be a part of any city, portaits of motion.

First time author Mary Costello has written what can only be described as a truly wonderful book. It is the story of Annie McPhelimy's coming of age during the height of the northern Irish Troubles. At times uproariously funny and strikingly poignant, the story gives the reader a glimpse into the inner lives of a family as they go about their daily existence in Catholic West Belfast. The characters are multi-dimensional and well rounded and the story is very well presented. The reader cannot help but feel this family's pain, sorrow and anger as they are surrounded by daily acts of violence. The fact that Costello is able to refrain from turning this novel into a political statement regarding this period in northern Irish history is admirable indeed. Anyone who has the slightest interest in Northern Ireland should read this book. You won't soon forget it...

Enthusiastically recommended for fans of the editorial cartoon, Stahler: Inkslinger is a black-and-white collection of cutting-edge editorial cartoons by Jeff Stahler. From visually likening the 2000-2001 school classroom to packing kids in a sardine can; to comparing Tolstoy's thick classic "War and Peace" to a hypothetical yet outrageously gigantic book rendition of "Mideast War and Peace"; to an unfortunate driver who has just crashed his car into another automobile speaking into his cell phone and asking "Can you hear me now?", the crisp and satirical cartoons of Stahler: Inkslinger command the reader's complete attention with their keen irony -- as well as their somber to perverse reflections on difficulties of present day life.