Connecticut Books

You'll be glad you read this--and now we wait for what McGaughey will come out with next.

Kyle Marchi is a household name since he is the heir to Holcomb billions. Kyle is also well known under the pseudonym of Stokes Moran, mystery reviewer and syndicated columnist. As a struggling writer, Kyle refuses to use either his real name or pseudonym to get his manuscript published. He has been rejected six times so far.

Disregarding his feelings, his agent-spouse submits the manuscript under the Moran name and it is immediately accepted. An angry Kyle reacts by calling the Times to announce that Moran died. The paper calls Moran's agent to verify the statement and his spouse reluctantly confirms the report. However, Kyle becomes the prime suspect when a murder victim bearing the identity of Moran is found on the lower West Side of Manhattan. Not trusting the police to dig deep enough when they have an easy target, Kyle investigates the case.

A CORPSE BY ANY OTHER NAME is fourth and apparently the final entry in the Moran series as writer Neil McGaughey plans to start a new series set in Natchez-Under-The-Hill. Readers will mourn the end of this wonderful collection of satirical melodramas because it is a delightful, humorous, and lively set of novels. This particular book pays homage to the great mystery writers of the past as well as the New York City book scene. Fans of mystery novels need to say their good-byes to a special amateur detective.

Harriet Klausner

JJ Semple captures his life as a jazz musician in Paris and his experiences with the powerful life force, kundalini. Semple interpretes an accident as a child that distorted his growth as the catalytic event that brought him to the life changing occurrence as one with an aroused kundalini. I like the very honest way in which Semple retells his life with such openness and candor.

His time with the spiritual/physical altering force of kundalini is well documented and gives much food for those looking for more detail on this esoteric but increasingly revealed phenomenon. Semple writes in an informal and highly readable manner, so the book is an enjoyable read.

Diary of a Connecticut Yogi

Diary of a Connecticut Yogi: How Kundalini Tore Me Apart and Put Me Back Together is a personal account of the JJ Semple's experience of a Kundalini awakening. His story begins with a childhood accident that robs him of two of his most precious talents--singing and mathematics--both of which he was particularly gifted in. After years of difficulty and frustration at not being able to achieve at his previous levels he finds an obscure Taoist text, The Secret of the Golden Flower. Upon reading the book, he realizes that he has stumbled across the one true way of correcting the damaging effects of his childhood accident, which eventually leads him to discover the nature of his deficits and the path back to health. Diary of a Connecticut is an extraordinary statement about the inevitability of karma and the obstacles one must overcome in the quest for self-realization.

Although a dormant energy within most people, there are many who experience Kundalini awakenings unexpectedly, while others pursue them with yogic breathing techniques and practices. Kundalini can be as physically transformative as it is spiritual.

JJ explains: "The problem with classifying Kundalini as a means to 'spiritual' enlightenment may limit its attraction for many people who have neither the time nor the inclination for `so-called' spiritual exploration. What's more, some people are put off by terms like 'higher consciousness' and 'enlightenment.' On the other hand, if they knew Kundalini had therapeutic health benefits, they might be eager to learn more."

This book not only reveals the secrets behind Golden Flower Meditation, it provides a thorough look into the method's amazing restorative powers. Diary of a Connecticut Yogi describes the Kundalini Life Force activation process in detail. It's the first book that I know of which offers evidence that the Kundalini Life Force is capable of correcting physical defects, restoring health, and counteracting the effects of aging. I have read it and strongly encourage you to read it!

This book has provided me with valuable information about the history of children's book illustration.

Mr. Young is a superlative scholar with a fascinating way of gathering material for the benefit of his readers; everyone should take a look at this book.

Electric Boat Corporation (Images of America) (CT)
Page No. 36- Should say Groton Plant after the Mid-1920's construction projects (see top picture on page no.46) and before USS Cuttlefish (see top picture on page no.52) in North Yard building Ways No. 1, 2 & 3, c. 1928, not 1918.
The four stack Destroyer USS Paulding, DD-22 (1910-1934) is identified in the picture as the converted Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC Paulding) CG-22 (1924-1930).

Page No. 82- Should say Tall Ship, U.S. Coast Guard Training Ship, Eagle, Overhaul in Dec 1963, not 1947,

Page No. 96- Bottom Picture- should say Robinson Research Laboratory, 1957, not 1952.

Page No.103- Should say Shift End Exodus, 1958, not 1954. Robinson Research Laboratory, 1957, previously named Research And Development, 1955. (see page 96)

This is an excellent book if you are interested in submarine or nautical history. It is a must have if you are from the Southeastern CT / Southern RI area.

Great book! A must have for any CT or RI angler. Very well written can't put it down.

Written by outdoorsman Bob Sampson, whose credits include contributing to "On the Water", "The Fisherman", and the "Norwich Bulletin", Fishing Connecticut and Rhode Island: A Guide For Freshwater Anglers is an in-depth guide to catching bass, walleye, trout, pickerel, salmon, catfish, carp, and many other species. Addition chapters also cover filleting and cooking one's catch, preserving a trophy, and fishing with kids. Anecdotes and fishing tips with a personal touch add form a smooth narrative flow for this superb guide for anglers of all skill and experience levels.

This is a book about the English attacking Fairfield - Connecticut during the revolutonary war. I am from Connecticut so it is pretty cool for me to see a book about where I am from.

The Forgotten Flag by Frances Y. Evan was a pleasure to read. The history of America is important, especially recently after the terrorist attacks. It is fascinating to read about our "roots" when America was young and struggling. Ms. Evan writes a very descriptive, factual story and keeps the reader's interest with the story line. I would recommend this book to schools, libraries, and book stores across the country. Good reading!

Fortune's skeleton is not on display. The exhibit about Fortune at the Mattatuck Museum includes a photographic illusion allowing visitors to see an image of Fortune's skeleton transform into a painting of Fortune as he may have looked in life. Fortune's actual bones have been carefully placed in archival museum storage, awaiting a community decision about whether to bury the remains or preserve them for future study.

There are as many ways of honoring the long forgotten as there are ways of mucking that honor up. I came to "Fortune's Bones" with just a bit of trepidation, I admit. Though I knew author Marilyn Nelson had created this book to honor a man long dead in the best way she knew how, I was still recovering from a similar, and foul, title called, "Journey To the Bottomless Pit" which also came out in 2004. In both books, a man who was a slave during his lifetime is honored with a children's book of fiction. In "Journey", the book was a simplistic version of a complicated man's life. I prayed that "Fortune's Bones" would not be the same. Those prayers were answered tenfold. Marilyn Nelson tells the story of Fortune in a manner respectful of his life, then accompanies this retelling with a requiem written in his honor. Though I would have enjoyed further factual information on the topic, this is a worthy addition to any poetry collection or non-fiction collection, for children, teens, or grown adults, anywhere.

There once was a man named Fortune. Born a slave in the 1700s, he and his wife and his children all belonged to a Dr. Preserved Porter. Later tests on Fortune's bones show that his life was not an easy one. His back was once broken and though he had a healthy skeleton, he died at the age of 60. When he did, Dr. Porter took Fortune's death as an opportunity to study human anatomy. He removed Fortune's skeleton, tapped the bones, and made himself a complete human skeleton. Every bone was carefully marked and studied by Porter and his ancestors. Years later, Fortune's name was lost and the skeleton was mislabeled "Larry" and given to the Matttatuck Museum. In the 1990s historians did research on it and found Fortune's true name once again. Now the only question that remains is what to do with Fortune's bones. Do we bury them and put him to rest at long last, or do we learn more from them about 1700s slaves and slavery? The question remains unanswered, but author Marilyn Nelson has done what she can. In this book she writes a requiem in Fortune's memory. Filled with free verse poetry, a Kyrie of the Bones, and a Sanctus at the end, "Fortune's Bones" is a text of respect.

One of the many things I loved about this book was the fact that as an author/poet, Nelson tells us why she wrote what she did. One poem is entitled, "Not My Bones", in which Fortune states clearly, "I am not my body", to anyone who cares to listen. This phrase comes from the Vietnamese Buddhist leader Thich Nhat Hahn, a fact that could well have gone uncredited by a less careful author. Each poem in this book is accompanied by factual information pertaining to Fortune's story, along with photographs, papers, tapestries, maps, and other important documents of the period. As a whole these poems speak beautifully together, forming a single Requiem. I especially liked "Dinah's Lament" in which Fortune's wife speaks of the cruel injustice of being forced to dust the bones that once would, "hold me when I cried; to dust where his soft lips were, and his chest what curved its warm against my back at night". Nelson, the accomplished voice behind her other great book, "Carver: A Life In Poems", is at her best here.

Admittedly, there were aspects of this book left unspoken that I (and I'm sure others) would have liked to have heard more about. The book is a Requiem and doesn't dwell on the fascinating process scientists took to discover Fortune again. There's a small series of three pictures on one page that shows three stages of facial reconstruction of Fortune, taken from his bones. That's something that would have made for a fascinating story in and of itself. Or how did the researchers and historians eventually discover who Fortune really was? Who did they talk to? What did they read? Sadly, such information will have to wait for another book. It's not answered here.

"Fortune's Bones", will obviously be snatched up by any child and/or teen assigned to read a book of poems since it's a mere 32 pages altogether. This is a great good thing. In spite of its scant length, this is a title that will teach a lot of information to a lot of kids in a wonderfully stirring way. The poems are mindful of the past and give the greatest of respect to a man of whom we know so little. A wonderful publication

Divorce is messy. Divorce is scary. This book will guide you through every stage of the process, from deciding whether to divorce, all the way to starting your new life post-divorce. Anyone considering or already immersed in a divorce in the state of Connecticut should have this book as a reference.
My spouse and I did not know whether we wanted to mediate or collaborate; after reading one chapter we went the collaboration route. (The info on litigated/contested divorce kept us on the path to collaboration!)
Ms. Stark writes clearly & concisely. The chapters are well organized to follow the chronology of a divorce. Frequent icons in the margins call attention to certain aspects of your decision making and give advice on the steps involved. The layout is clean and highly readable.
Many references in the back of the book help one find support, services, and materials to get you through. I purchased three other divorce books at the same time, but found myself relying on this one alone.
Consider this a necessity. Consider this helpful even if you don't live in Connecticut!

Ms. Stark's book offers both efficiency and compassion as she helps divorcing couples work through the process. Her information is accurate and precise. The advice she provides will enable reasonable people to find resolutions to many of the natural flashpoint issues natural to divorce.

Besides outlining the value of the mediation process in reaching closure and saving money, Stark provides a step-by-step how-to guide. Just as important, she offers an overview of the psychological stages of divorce that offers reassurance and preparation.

As a person using this book myself, I can recommend it to other Nutmeggers who find themselves needing to end a marriage. Doing so is always painful; Stark offers a guiding hand to help manage this passage.

This book is a wonderful addition for the amateur genealogist of Connecticut families. Many things are explained here that flesh out the "facts" gleaned from documents about various family members. I particularly found helpful the discussion on property and town formations.

In England, the Puritans defied church and state. In America, ironically, the Puritans established colonies which came to emphasize deference to authority. In colonial New England, a rough equality in condition eased most tensions of hierarchy in status. By the eve of the Revolution, however, several factors--religious, political, economic and demographic--worked to rekindle the Puritan tradition of agitation and radicalism. The Protestant emphasis on the authority of individual conscience was revived. Richard L. Bushman explores these developments in Connecticut, providing a colorful social portrait. He brings to life arguments and controversies, illuminating the convictions and feelings of each side. Bushman's work proves very informative and quite readable.

After Ann Ripley so cleverly blended stories together in the first three Louise Eldridge stories, you think her ability to weave paths together in Death of A Political Plant couldn't be beat; then you read The Garden Tour Affair. The story changes the setting from the capital to the Litchfield Falls Inn in Connecticut. A quaint setting is the perfect foil for the hustle and bustle of the three first novels set in Washington. Our heroine Mrs. Eldridge takes the first major trip for her PBS show Gardening With Nature to a house of quarrel between members of the Seymour family. Halfway through, you'll think you have it all figured out, and then the story takes another twist. The fast paced action continues right up until the last page. Ripley can truly do it all, between her masterful storytelling ability to her knowledge of gardening and wonderful use of allusions in her literature. An entertaining read, the best so far from Ann! 5 stars.

The story is fun, the writing first class and the gardening essays made me want to race out and start planting. I will admit, however, that toward the end I did skip over the essays to follow the mystery line. My curiosity appeased, I was then eager to go back for the essays. I did read the paperback version and the cover doesn't do justice to the story or the writing. Also, one minor point. For me, Louise "felt" much older than forty and it threw me when references to her age were mentioned. I fear this is a publisher issue in that there is some fear readers won't want to read about a mature woman. Wrong! I don't know if this was actually the case or not, but it seems likely, and that is my only quibble with my first Louise Eldridge Mystery. This is a very talented writer with much to share with her readers and I thoroughly enjoyed the book!