Michigan Books

Tom Carney tells wonderfully descriptive stories packed with humor and honest emotion. For anyone who has ever owned a dog, fished a stream, experienced the comradery of "hunting season" or just reflected on life from their recliner, this book will fill you with the joy of these memories!

I've been a big fan of Tom Carney's writing since about 1986, when I ran across some of his witty, thoughtful columns in outdoor magazines. I was delighted when I found out that his columns and essays were being published in books. I rate SUN-DRENCHED DAYS, TWO-BLANKET NIGHTS and now his new one, BIRD-DOGS AND BETTY CAKES right up there with the best of books about the outdoor life, especially dogs, birds, hunting and fishing buddies, and generally trying to live a good life in difficult times. A darned good writer and he's funny too.

All too many columnists from smallish papers, particularly those who dwell in the world of hunting and fishing, feel they have the where-with-all to put together their columns over the past few years and call the collection a book. Seldom is it worthy of such a title.

Tom Carney is thankfully not one of these. A regular columnist for a variety of magazines and newspapers, Carney transcends the norm in Sun Drenched Days: Two Blanket Nights. Yes, the book does surround the outdoor experiences involved in hunting and fishing, but it goes well beyond the norm of "me and Sam in a boat stories".

Carney wears his heart at the the end of his pen while introducing you to the wonders of woodcock dancing on the western skies, of brook trout from clear cool waters and the companions he has had the priviledge to enjoy these with. And it seems it is the comraderie that he relishes most.

When I interviewed Carney he told me that he considers his work as simply stories. They are much more than that. This collection is a love affair of all things wild-the sweet mustiness of autumn leaves and the smell of a wet dog, of camp cooking and star-filled skies. It is a collection of people and places that have helped him to grow in appreciation of time afield and of the fleeting time he has had to share with friends.

Readers from Michigan have probably heard of Tom Carney. And while this collection certainly is Michigan-based, it does go well beyond the Wolverine State boundry. Carney will make you laugh, cry and remember. While you certainly have not been with the people he has, you have been with others of their caliber. It is the memories that his stories will rekindle in you that are most important.

Carney's book is something to be consumed while sitting in an overstuffed chair next to a fire. An English setter curled by your feet would be a nice finishing touch.

I was very impressed with this first novel by the author. It was a "keep reading" story and the surprise ending was not given away. I'm looking forward to a sequel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this quick moving well written novel by the young new author Matt Williams. I am anxiously awaiting the next Lake Superior mystery. Enjoy!

Superior Death by Matthew Williams is a gripping and evocative new thriller depicting the life of the small-town reporter Vince Marshall and his hot-pursuit of the truth and justice in his evermore secretive town. With a potentially cheating wife, a degrading and extremist boss, and the police deciding his mother to be the prime suspect for the mystery of a local woman's death, Superior Death deftly maneuvers the language and plot for a highly mystifying tale as Marshall delves deeper into the terrifying truths encumbering his small town. Superior Death is very strongly recommended for its unique structure and fascinating and intricately woven story for all fans of mystery fiction, and most particularly those familiar with the northern Upper-Michigan Peninsula.

THIS BOOK IS ABOUT THE MSU NCAA CHAMPS OF BASKETBALL IN 1979. LED MY MAGIC, JAY VINCENT, GREG KELSER AND COACH JUD HEATHCOTE THIS TEAM DOMINATED INDIANA STATE TO WIN THE FINAL GAME. THE AUTHORS INTERVIEW ALL THE PLAYERS AND COACHES AND WE GET THEIR INSIGHT INTO THAT SEASON ALONG WITH WHAT THEY ARE DOING TODAY. I AM AN OHIO STATE FAN BUT I REALLY FOUND THIS TO BE VERY WELL WRITTEN AND INTERESTING. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL SPARTAN AND COLLEGE HOOP FANS.

Being a die-hard Michigan fan, it's hard for me to admit that I enjoyed anything with the word "Spartans" associated with it. Based on a strong recommendation from a friend of mine, I decided to give this book a chance. I am very glad that I did. It offers a collection of wonderful stories masterfully written by two men who followed this team's every move through the 1978-1979 basketball season. Stabley and Staudt are then able to track nearly every member of the team down 25 years later for their own recollections of what was truly a "Magical" season. A must-read not only for every Spartan fan, but for anyone who appreciates the triumphant nature of the human spirit. I can't wait for the sequel: the story of Rumeal Robinson and the 1989 Michigan Wolverines!

A must for all true Spartan fans as well as basketball fans. The book comes out 25 years after the Spartans' 1979 NCAA championship season and is comprised of many short stories dealing with the players, coaches, media and fans from that season. The stories include the battles the coaches went through to recruit the MSU players including Earvin "Magic" Johnson. It's interesting to see where all 13 players are these days and what they've done in the last 25 years. The battle between Michigan State and Indiana State changed college basketball forever and the book touches the memory banks of those who played in the game. It's a fun read and enjoyable for fans of all ages.

My 7 year old loved this story so much that she wants to canoe to the 2 islands mentioned. She looks forward to running down the sand dune and taking a personal look. When a book can inspire a child to want to see for herself, this is grand writing. We love Anne Margaret Lewis!

Carry forward the tradition of summer walks on the beach with Grandpa, collecting rocks and stories. This book is charming, well illustrated and sure to be a favorite in many homes, especially those with memories of the Great Lakes shoreline.

While browsing through childrens' picture books when visiting the Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, MI, the title and illustrations of Tears of Mother Bear immediately caught my attention. As I began to read the book I was mesmerized. Anyone who has ever spent time with family during the summer at the beach - looking for special rocks and stones on the shore - will love this book! Remember finding those stones that were great for "skipping" and those that were "keepers"? I couldn't wait to get back home to search the net for the Petoskey Stones this book introduced to me. What a wonderful tale!

Terror Stalks Traverse City is my son's favorite of all the Michigan Chiller Books he has read so far. He loves to read the Johnathan Rand books. Having recently met the author and having his picture taken with him and the Chiller Van made our son's day!
Once he starts to read one of these books it seems he has a hard time putting it down. The Michigan Chiller books make kids want to read. Thank you, Mr. Rand!

The book I read was a Michigan Chiller book. It is the second book. The main title of the book is Terror Stalks Traverse City. It's mainly about a boy named Matthew Sorenson. People also call him Matt. He has always wanted a magic kit. One day his grandma and grandpa sent him a magic kit for Christmas. Before Matt read the Directions, he tried to make something disappear. That's when it all started. This is a good book because the author Jonathan Rand makes you want to keep reading the book. At the end of each chapter, something happens and you want to read to see what happens.

My kids love the books in the Michigan Chiller series by Jonathan Rand. The books are all set in Michigan towns, but anyone from anywhere would enjoy them. The books are very suspenseful - but not too scary for small kids. They are written on a third or fourth grade level, but my second grader is reading them and loves them. She can't put them down. I'm also reading them aloud to my 6 year old kindergardener who is also enthralled. I highly recommend any of the books in this series and am anxiously awaiting the release of Dinosaurs Destroy Detroit.

THIS BOOK IS ABOUT THE ALL-TIME TIGERS TEAM, POSITION BY POSITION. I REALLY ENJOYED READING ABOUT GREATS LIKE PRINCE HAL, KALINE, GIBSON, GREENBERG, LOLICH, COBB, CASH AND MANY MORE. THERE ARE SOME GREAT PHOTOS AND ALOT OF NOSTALGIA. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FOR THE TRUE BASEBALL FANS WHO REALLY HAVE FOLLOWED BASBALL OVER THE YEARS. THESE TIGERS COVERED IN THIS BOOK EARNED THEIR STRIPES, INDEED. SOME GREAT GREAT MOMENTS RELIVED IN THIS BOOK.

Our national pastime is the one constant reminder that everyone kid can grow up to play in the major leagues. I have been a long time Philadelphia Phillies fan and as such seldom read books about other ball clubs. After finishing this book I will have to rethink that policy as the Detroit Tigers are one of the most storied franchises in baseball history.

Starting off with the greatest ballplayer to ever put on spikes, Ty Cobb, the book begins to tell more than a story about the Tigers but also about the fans in Detroit. Men like Charlie Gehringer, Sparky Anderson, Hank Greenberg, and Al Kaline, Alan Trammel ands many others are all in the true baseball fans collector book.

The book had Kirk Gibson in the outfield over the great Harry Heilmann and while I wouldn't have made that choice the writers do make a fairly convincing argument for the selection. I enjoyed the inside look into Al Kaline and his often tumultuous relationship with the people of Detroit.

Finally the book is more that the best Tigers it also includes the near misses, the ones that should be there as well and even the weird and funny characters of the teams. Overall a great book for those interested in the game as well as the "true" Tiger fan.

This is a very good book about all of the great Tiger players. They name their all-time team and have stories about some of their great pitchers. Several of their great managers are also included. McLain, Lolich, Newhouser, and Trout are some of their better-known pitchers.

Full of interesting characters, cruel soldiers, vicious fellow prisoners. The physical desolation and emotional desperation these women experienced during their respective prison sentences is unforgettable! This book should be required reading for anyone interested in modern-day tragedies.

I think everyone should read this book. It only serves to make us realise how lucky we are and how we, especially in the West, can have nothing to complain about. The sufferings of the various women who in some cases had to fell trees in -50 degrees centigrade for 600grms of bread a day is inspirational. At some points I felt that I was ready fictional accounts as I found it hard to believe that mans inhumanity to man, or in this case, woman could be so mind numbingly awful - and for what.....truly terrifying. Exceptional read you will not be able to put it down and the strength of character of the women will stay with you long after you have finished the book.

This book is, without doubt, shocking, shaming, horrifying and representative of the utter degradation of the Stalin regime but equally, it is filled with courage, strength of spirit, endurance and compassion for one's fellow human beings. A collection of memoirs of women imprisoned in Stalin's purges, reading this is like having a series of intimate conversations with women caught up in something so evil and wicked it defies imagination.

I found myself wondering about the Russian psyche, the nature of communism, the parameters of dictatorship and the increasing obsession today's governments have with political correctness. There are scarcely words to describe the future an ordinary, well-educated, Moscow career girl could face for telling a slight joke, having vengeful neighbours, marrying the wrong man, being the child of the wrong parents or, indeed, doing nothing wrong at all. This stuff makes Orwell's 1984 look like The Simpsons and Kafka like Harry Potter. So unjust and farcical were the bases on which these women were incarcerated in prisons and camps no different than those created by Hitler and the Nazis, that you feel the victims and, indeed, the whole of the USSR was caught up in an indescribable nightmare. Truly, I don't have words to describe how sick and devastated I felt on completing this book. Read it and weep. This truly was Armageddon.

I have not yet read this book, though I have high expectations since Monkey is one of my favorite literary characters. This is not a rating, but a warning: DO NOT READ THE INTRODUCTION. The inconsiderate translator gives away essential information -- spoilers, in other words. Argh! I hate that. I hope I can save other potential readers some frustration.

The latest addition to the outstanding "Michigan Classics in Chinese Studies" series, Tung Yueh's The Tower Of Myriad Mirrors, is ably translated into English for a western readership by Shuen-fu Lin and Larry J. Schulz. Tung Yueh (1620-1686) provides an illuminating example of Chinese literature written to both entertain and enlighten with its mythological cast of characters. This precursor to the modern novel will prove especially fascinating and informative for students and scholars of Chinese fiction as a specialized literary form.

Almost four hundred years before movies like "The Sixth Sense" shocked audiences with surprise endings, Tung Yueh's "Tower of Myriad Mirrors" was blowing away mid 17th century China with its own original brand of psyche-out plot twists. "Tower" was a gripping tale to its originally intended audience, and the story has stood the test of time and is read to this day due to its fantastic imagery and imaginative method of imparting Buddhist theory.

I read "Tower of Myriad Mirrors" for a class in traditional Chinese literature and enjoyed it thoroughly. I have an avid interest in traditional and contemporary Chinese literature, but a serious background in this genre is not necessary to understand and enjoy "Tower..." All that is needed is good concentration and patience, and perhaps a quick online look at background information on Mahayana Buddhism. The story may appear confusing and disjointed at times, but if you persevere, you will find that everything comes together beautifully in the last chapter. Keep in mind that it is imperative to read the forward - it provides the necessary orientation needed to understand the story.

"Tower's" protagonist, a somewhat wayward monk named Monkey (who has, in fact, the outward appearance of an ape) embarks on a fantastical journey in search ways to help his master reach India, where they are to procure Buddhist scriptures to bring back to China. Tung Yueh wrote this 16-chapter novella (most Chinese novels are in excess of 100 chapters) as a supplement to the famous narrative "Journey to the West" as a way to explore the psyche of the Monkey character. It is elegantly written and conjures imagry that is beautiful and exotic as well as brutal and violent.

Written in 1640, "Tower..." is an excellent example of the traditional vernacular stories that were widely used to relate the messages of Buddhism to the masses. To hold the attention and stay in the memory of common Chinese, the stories often involve fantastic imagery, scores of monsters and evil beings, beautiful women, and impossible feats of magic - all of which are evidenced in "Tower..." The Buddhist message of "Tower" is that one must strive to overcome the demons of desire within oneself - and this message is delivered by means of a fascinating journey through a dream world conjured up Monkey's mind.

While "Tower of Myriad Mirrors" is not an easy read, it is a rewarding one. This edition is well translated and provides many helpful footnotes that will enable readers not well-versed in the background of Chinese vernacular religious stories or Buddhism to understand. Approach it with an open mind and perhaps a willingness to look up some information on Mahayana Buddhism, and you won't be disappointed.

This book is great for identifying trees in my Michigan backyard. I highly recommend it.

Trees of Michigan is a well designed guide for anyone interested in learning more about and identifying trees in the area. It also includes information on some bushes and shrubs. I use this guide in my after-school EcoClub at school. It has enhanced our study of nature.

Trees of Michigan Including Tall Shrubs is a straightforward guide to 254 species from 36 arboreal families. Color photographs and close-ups of leaves, bark, flowers, fruits, cones, or overall shape illustrate every page of this easy-to-use guide, filled with identification tips, notes on edible fruits and human and wildlife uses of trees, name origins and alternate names of trees, range maps and habitat descriptions, and much more. An illustrated glossary rounds out this first-rate Michigan reference for amateur and professional nature lovers alike, and the soft cover and internal pages are printed on durable stock for weathering journeys into the field.

It's great that there's now this critical overview of Harrison. It's also great that other books by and about him have come out recently---his memoir and the "Conversations." Altogether they're an amazing look at a wonderful writer.

(I have to note that in his "Conversations" Harrison repeatedly trashes the academic MFA system and bemoans the fact that a writer can't make a living unless he does something else---in Harrison's case, write screenplays. Do other prominent writers today express similar sentiments or is Harrison a stand-out in his candor in this regard?)

"True Bones" is a fine ruminating overview of Harrison's work. I'm greatly enjoying it (most of the way through). BUT! "Ruminating" implies way too much accessibility. It's extremely academic---intentionally so, but this isn't mentioned in the other reviews. It's almost impossible for a layman to read. I've read a ton of hard stuff and I can just barely manage this one. There are occasional standout paragraphs of direct clarity but most requires heavy digging. Be prepared! Complex, convoluted sentences ahoy!

I guess it also serves to introduce one to some of the values in academia today, such as in the essay that gives a postmodern analysis, but---hoo, that one was over the top. It doesn't give a hint as to WHY one would have such values, except that it, too, did have a few neat insights, again making it worth the work.

Still, it's great to see someone paying such close and literary attention to Harrison's work. And there are indeed insights in it throughout. I wrote this "Reader Review" mostly to note that it's a big effort, but well worth it. (I write, too, with wishes that academia would be more accessible.)

The scattered other reviews of Harrison's work are undoubtedly more accessible. But "True Bones" is sustained, in-depth and references many of those reviews as well as many other academic ideas, explaining and showing how Harrison works in light of them, even though the "light" of academia is a tricky thing and even though academia is a scene that seems out of touch---as Harrison himself often notes.

This compilation of critical essays by Dr. Patrick Smith is the first full-length text to thoroughly examine the scope of Harrison's fiction. Smith's writing is clear and concise and offers itself as an intellectually rich and beautifully written companion to the work of a truly incredible contemporary writer. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates the fiction of Jim Harrison. Thank you Dr. Smith!

If you care at all about Jim Harrison's peerless work and the timeless craft of writing, you will devour the emerging talents of Patrick Smith as he leads you through the rich world of Mr. Harrison's work.
Insightful analysis, thought-provoking attitudes and fresh reasoning pour forth from the new and credible voice of Dr. Smith, who demonstrates complete mastery of his subject matter. I applaud this long-overdue look at one of the great voices in fiction, by a new and worthy writer.
Bravo, Dr. Smith!