Michigan Books

Back in the '60's I was on my way to Haight Ashbury from Boston when I stopped in Ann Arbor...and stayed! My adopted home town is so eclectic and has much to offer those passing through as well as those who,like myself, have made it their home. Cynthia Davis' book highlights many of the places which have become part of the soul of Ann Arbor- with amazing colors and textures. It would make an excellent holiday gift for anyone who has an attachment to the city. I plan on giving several myself!

Photographer Cynthia Davis captures the heart and essence of this excting and dynamic city the way no other photograher has. Her photos take you to spots famous and private in a painterly approach that bears her signature style.
Her sensitivity highlights the beauty of each chosen spot that surely conjures up memories to the millions who have studied and visited this wonderful city.
Art and Ann Arbor go hand in hand.
This is a fabulous book for the alumni or student as well as for the delightfully diverse people of Ann Arbor.
A treasure to be treasured.
A gift to be shared!

What a holistic book on the forests of North America. Diana Beresford-Kroeger discuss the ecology of our trees in a scientific fashion as well as including a spiritual and healing aspects of the forest through the history of plants and medicinal properties. Wonderful book and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the unique dynamics of forest life.

In Arboretum America: A Philosophy Of The Forest, botanist, medical researcher, and agricultural expert, Diana Beresford-Kroeger celebrates a diversity of trees and plants including how they can counteract the effects of pollution and global warming; which native plants complement the "bioplan"; how to plan them with ideas and tips; the medicinal uses trees and plants have had from the inception of aboriginal cultures down to the modern day, and so much more. Inviting, full-color photography by Christian H. Kroeger and an informative Foreword by Edward O. Wilson nicely embellish this informed and informative presentation which vibrantly reflects the Diana Beresford-Kroeger's love of nature and enduring passion for scientific inquisition. Arboretum America is an especially recommended addition to Ecological Studies reference collections and Botanical Studies supplemental reading lists.

This is a must for anyone who loves the Lake Superior region.

Very well researched and written, the books begins with a series of articles on several themes pertinent to the Lake, such as the history of lumbering, mining, and the tales of the Native People.

Then in logical sequential fasion, we are led on a tour around the lake stopping at many interesting parks, monuments, towns, etc.

This is not so much a standard guide book as a historical and natural tour. Many current and archival photos are included.

There are perhaps a half dozen Lake Superior books I would own rather than borrow and this is definitely one of them.

This is a clearly written guidebook which covers the past and the present. It is most handy if you are taking the Lake Superior circle tour. Very well organized with some great pictures.

This practical guide for English teachers should find a large audience, especially in MA classes on ESL methodology. Combining personal insights, detailed interview with fellow ESL teachers, and a survey of recent research and an acute awareness that context matters, Keith Folse has written an outstanding primer for conversation teachers and tutors.
His 20 short vignettes in Chapter 3 (What does a Conversation Class Look Like) are worth the coverprice alone. If you have already, or you plan to teach a conversation class, I strongly recommend this outstanding primer.

As a relatively new EFL teacher, I appreciate Dr. Folse's insights. One of the most important aspects that jumps out at me is his emphasis on the need to teach the language "for" and "in" the learning task. While this may seem like common sense, I've noticed that it's not always common practice. The book is a nice blend of theory and practice.

The reader can tell that Folse has taught speaking in a number of contexts and that he's familiar with research in the field of TESOL. He communicates information in a way that beginning teachers can understand. There are also nice sections describing speaking classes in a number of different contexts around the world along with activities that work and don't work.

Finally, I enjoyed the humble approach he takes in describing his own development as an English teacher early in his career. Overall, I feel enriched as a teacher after reading the book.

This is one of the most quietly beautiful books I have ever read. Set in Chicago and the mysterious world of the Indiana Dunes on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, Rogers evokes the feeling of two very different landscapes with seamless prose as he tells what will undoubtedly become one of the classic American coming-of-age novels. I appreciated the maturity of this book, which tells the story of a young boy who lusts after every girl he meets while longing, deep down, for a more profound and lasting relationship.

Rogers is finally getting the critical acclaim he so richly deserves (see Cathleen Shine in the New York Review of Books). Philip Roth calls him the Evelyn Waugh of our time. "At the Shores" is a beautifully crafted coming of age story that will appeal to adults and teenagers alike; the writing shimmers on the page like the summer heat across the Indiana dunes Rogers lovingly describes. While so many modern novels rely on shock or style quirks to grab attention, Rogers captivates us the timeless way: with a moving story of authentic characters and emotion rendered in flawless prose. "At the Shores" should be combined with Rogers' three other major novels: "The Confessions of the Child of the Century," "The Pursuit of Happiness" and "Jerry Engels" (sequel to "At the Shores"), to appreciate the full arc of his talent. Just as Philip Larkin resurrected the incomparable charms of Barbara Pym's writing, we can only hope the new critical attention given to Rogers' work will now give a wider audience the pleasure of discovering him.

Mike Prisuta's book is something that every hockey fan, not just a Spartan fan will enjoy reading. The photography adds greatly to complete this product. We look forward to more sports books from Mike in the future.

Awe Inspiring: The Storied History of Spartan Hockey has captured the spirit and personality of one of the nation's great collegiate programs. This book tells the story of the Spartan hockey program. Mike Prisuta goes beyond the wins and losses and tells us of the special and unique people who have built the Michigan State program as well as the sport of college hockey. The personal stories shared by players and coaches over the years allows the reader to get "inside" the hockey program at Michigan State. This book is a must for anyone who has ever enjoyed college hockey, whether you're a Spartan fan or not.

This book is great for those who like to go "outside the box", and get off the freeway as they head up north, to take in Michigan's unique beauty.

Beautifully illustrated with a wealth of color and black-and-white photographs, Backroads Of Michigan: Your Guide To Michigan's Most Scenic Backroad Adventures is a guide to touring the most breathtaking and scenic natural venues to be found in the Great Lake State. Backroads Of Michigan is a fairly large trade paperback, not meant to be carried in a pocket, purse or small backpack; yet its size also allows the fine detail in its illustrations to shine through, and its typeface is easy to read without a magnifying glass. The chapters are arranged by Michigan subsection, and cover everything from historical sites to river valleys to prime spots for beachcombing to state parks ideal for viewing wildflowers and much more, with maps and general directions. The text is written in a leisurely style that is as engaging to browse for pleasure as it is filled with practical information. Enthusiastically recommended for Michigan tourists and residents interested in the state's most wondrous sights, and also for armchair travelers.

In Barrier Of A Common Language: An American Looks At Contemporary British Poetry, Dana Gioia (poet, literary critic, and Chairman of the National Endowment for the Art) has assembled insightful and informative essays on British poets and poetry over the past two decades. A scholarly compilation of such varied topics as the growing disconnect between British and American poetry; fading traditions in poetic literature; and in-depth analysis of modern works, fill the pages of this astute and superbly presented anthology of criticism. Barrier Of A Common Language is a welcome and seminal contribution to academic library British Literature & Poetry reference collections and reading lists.

First of all, you have to realize Dana Gioia isn't just an average American talking about British poetry. It isn't like, say me for example. Gioia is extremely well informed and knows what he is talking about. So you get a really good collection of essays. But that is what this is, just a collection of essays that are only connected by the fact that they discuss British poets. Now don't get me wrong, these are great essays and you can't go wrong reading them, I just wish that Gioia had rewritten them to make them more cohesive as a whole, to really give us a picture of British poetry. Several of the essays were just reviews of books, and the Larkin essay was a review of Andrew Motion's biography of Larkin. Gioia would have done better to have discussed Larkin, Burgess, Ted Hughes, Amis, Dick David, Gunn, etc, like his opening essay (The Barrier of a Common Language: New British Poetry in the Eighties) and his essay on Fenton and Causley. These are well written and good essay/reviews. I just think that we would have been better served by something that was more cohesive and not just a collection of previously published essays and reviews. Still, they are good.

The books is very good.
Its reviews are pretty much right on for the 10 or so beaches that I have visited since owning this book.

My only minor suggestion for it would be to add a top 3 for each of the different sections in the book.
And maybe somehow signify that a particular beach was a top 10.

There is a top 10 at the front though.

precise directions to the beaches -excellent summarization of facilities and amenities.ratings of beaches are helpful.can't wait to revisit Michigan.

My uncle, Joe Jaffee owned the Parrot Lounge along with Al Green and others. He told some cute stories of the club, including the time he got mad at Billy Eckstine for smoking marijuana. The parrot, as legend goes, became so foul-mouthed from listening to the drunken customers, that my Uncle finally had to get rid of it.
This book is extremely well-researched; maps are included of where the spots were located, and the pictures are very vivid. There was a recent book published about Detroit's history that completely ignored the nightclubs, and this book fills in the gap. In fact, in most books that have been written about Detroit's nightclub scene, you always see Al Green and the Flame, but never a word about the other clubs and or owners.

This book is definitely a must-have for music lovers and historians alike.

Of course nowadays they would just look at you like you were crazy, but in Detroit from the 30's through the 50's they would have taken you to one of the places described in this book: Club Plantation, the El Sino, the Greystone Ballroom, the Forest Club, Frolic Show Bar, Flame Show Bar, Cozy Corner, Blue Bird Inn, Sportree's Music Bar, or any of about 90 others. This book has the maps, pictures, facts, anecdotes, and solid economic and social explanations to bring this era alive. This history has already been so erased from the face of Detroit that there are hardly even any decaying buildings left. All is empty lots with bricks sticking out of the soil; places as evocative as the service drive of an expressway. Who could know that Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Bix Beiderbecke, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, played or spent time here?

How else could you know about Detroit musicians like drummer J. C. Heard who fanned out across the country, blending their talents into the bands of Lionel Hampton, Fletcher Henderson, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, and many others?

You might read this book to see how the Detroit influence added to the influences of New Orleans, New York and Chicago to the world of jazz.

Or you might read it to find out why Detroit is where it's at in its own musical history.

Or if you lived in Detroit, you might read it to understand the significance of the mute things around you, through which maybe you drive to work each day.

But man, read it!