Virginia Books

I'm 30 years old and remember this book from the 1st grade. I loved reading about Blue Bug and learning the traffic signs. Now I have a 3 year old son of my own who loves Blue Bug. Wish I could find this book to buy, but will have to be content to get it from the library

It is very unfortunate that this title is out of print! This is a great book. Blue bug is an adorable character who has important information to relay to those who are able to read it!

As skillfully as early landscape architects planned the Blue Ridge Parkway to "lie lightly upon the land," author Tim Pegram has crafted a delightful journey in words to pay tribute to his years as a National Park Service park ranger and his endeavor to be the first person to through-hike the linear park's 469 miles. I don't know when I have enjoyed a book more! From the time I opened the box from Amazon and first held "The Blue Ridge Parkway by Foot: A Park Ranger's Memoir" in my hand, it has been a constant companion. I have chosen to read, and reread, it at a leisurely pace, much like Pegram's 41-day walk, or a relaxed drive along the Parkway. That way, I can stop at all the overlooks, savor each person, place, view, milepost, story, and insight, and look forward to what lies around the next bend, on the next page. Written in a personable, engaging style, this book is sure to become a treasured favorite of everyone who loves the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Tim Pegram captivates the reader with memories of his career as a parkway ranger, and his story of hiking the entire Blue Ridge Parkway. This is an extremely unique book that covers a subject on which few books exist. A must read for Blue Ridge Parkway lovers, hikers, fellow Park Rangers, and BRP history buffs.

There's a Navajo creation legend alluded to in the prologue that identifies five levels of worlds. In many ways that is what this novel delivers. There is a contemporary doctor going to work on a reservation for a year because she promised her grandfather who paid for her education that she would. There is the story of a corresponding Indian girl a hundred fifty years earlier who is sold into the white world and there are connecting strands, such as one involving the use of Indian "code-talkers" during WWII. These were Navajo's recruited for radio communications because their language defied the ability of the Japanese to decipher its messages.

I found the juxtaposition of the two major strands of narrative heightened the drama of each. And the switching of perspective among characters from one chapter to the next allowed readers to see the significance events in human terms. Some of these are fascinating. For example, Daago is a young Indian woman about to be married. Her tribe captures Mexicans for slaves. Then she herself (not particularly in love with the husband chosen for her) is captured by white men and won in a card game by a young military medical doctor. A hundred years later Lily Cabot Chase a rather spoiled Easterner lacking heart is sent to the "Rez" in Arizona for a year where she falls in love with an upcoming Indian politician.

Virginia Nosky keeps the story going. And if you are a romantic at heart you will cheer on the female protagonists as they step and misstep through their lives. The author's knowledge of Indian culture is thorough. We are in good hands when we are there. A few of the minor characters, such as the snobbish Larimer, the female doctor leaves behind, Moran, who kidnaps Daago, and Lily's hippie parents are painfully two dimensional. No doubt there are people like this, but their dialogue rings melodramatic or comically over the top. Minor quibbles.

On the other hand I found myself torn as to what I would do were I one of the two major female characters and anxious to read further to find out. The seduction scene (involving Daago) is very sensual and ends with a climax that is genuinely surprising. A later sexual encounter between Lily and a Navajo running for Congress is equally torrid. In fact, the last third of the book is a real page-turner. In the process of reading "Blue Turquoise, White Shell" I learned something about the Navajo people, history and the human heart.

In the Navajo myth of creation the daughter born to the first man and first woman is named "Changing Woman." Great inspiration for the central character female characters of this book. The modern variation may not have the weight of legend, but it certainly is more gripping.

Fate has a way of putting us where we are needed and when we pay heed to that urge, beneficial things happen. Fate had a helping hand in Virginia Nosky's latest novel, "Blue Turquoise, White Shell," by a sense of karma; the result being, varying degrees of satisfaction with life. The human will though, is a strong adversary to fate. Which will win in the end?

Lily Cabot Chase is the granddaughter of Cabot W.W. Chase. Both became doctors and both feel a sense of honor to fulfill a destiny they aren't quite sure of. The elder feels responsibility to a fellow soldier who'd died saving his life back in WWII, and young Lily Cabot is asked to spend a year doctoring on a Navajo reservation as a payback for her grandfather putting her through Harvard Medical School. The story centers around the young Cabot and her goal of finding her passion as a doctor on the reservation. She is surprised to discover more than her own passion, but a mutual one between herself and handsome Nicholas Nakai who is running for the seat of a newly mandated US Congressional district. He would be the first Native American Congressman. The battle for votes is intense, but his mind if torn to commanding thoughts of Cabot.

Meanwhile, another story plays out in the same setting. In 1862, Daago, a Navajo headman's daughter, is destined to be wed to the medicine man's apprentice of the neighboring tribe. She is apprehensive at first, but knows it is her duty. When she is captured by a slave trader, she becomes determined to eventually escape, no matter what the burden. Captain Nathaniel Cabot is a medical officer for the army who is new to the inhumane treatment of the native people. When he "wins" Daago in a game of poker, he is planning to set her free; however, Daago is desperate and cannot understand what he tells her. She only knows that he wants her and she will use that to her advantage.

Perhaps destiny was set for Cabot and Nicholas back in 1862, or maybe their fate was sealed by their own desires.

Virginia Nosky has a flare for weaving Native American customs into her books. This has a desirable effect, creating a vibrant setting that I just want to dive into. Her treatment of the 1862 portions of the book are spectacular and pulse with life. Her modern Navajo scenes are rich with traditions and the political race demonstrates truth. It is her understanding of human nature that really draws the reader in though. You will see yourself and your loved ones in the characters and know that this is a good read.

The Book of Common Prayer is the core of the Anglican identity. Since 1662, the standard bearer has been the primary Book of Common Prayer used by the Church of England; however, there have been many variations and developments, both supplemental liturgies and entire, new 'Books of Common Prayer' among daughter churches throughout the world. However, the 1662 Book of Common Prayer was itself the product of over a hundred years of development in the theological and worship life of the Church of England. Never was that development as varied and controversial as during the period between Henry VIII's break from Rome, through his Protestant successor Edward (or rather, through Edward's officials), back to the Roman Catholic Mary, and then to the Elizabethan period, in which a via media was attempted of sorts.

The 1559 Prayer Book was not the first; there were two predecessors -- one in 1549, and another in 1552, both done during Edward VI's brief boyhood reign. At this time, the Protestants who had been held back by Henry gained ascendancy, only to lose it again in 1553 when the young king died unexpectedly, and the people rallied to the Roman Catholic Mary, who reinstituted the Latin Missal and Breviary, used until her death in 1558, when the Protestant Elizabeth ascended the throne. The 1559 Book of Common Prayer is a revision of the 1552, only slightly, but given that the unbroken continuity of the Book of Common Prayer's usage dates from this book, it makes sense to be a significant text for study.

Elizabeth was a Protestant-Humanist, very much a character of the age, and this sentiment is reflected in the text of the Book of Common Prayer. However, the English have long been a traditional lot, and the similarities of English liturgies to Roman Catholic predecessors (particularly when compared with many continental forms of Protestantism) is no mistake. Indeed, Puritans would view the book as still too 'popish'. The Book of Common Prayer was long an instrument of state (indeed, it still is, in legal theory) and as such had more than just a theological significance. And, as an instrument of the state that was not always obeyed, sometimes the book was more honoured in the breech than in the observance.

Anglican scholar John Booty edited this edition based upon published by Richard Jugge and John Cawode in 1559. It is housed in the Boston Public Library (Booty gives history of the text and its provenance). Booty describes the variations in texts from the time, minor additions and subtractions, some of which were incorporated here, and others not. Booty did correct typographical errors and modernise spelling and punctuation to a minor degree (unfortunately, for the scholarly, often without note, unless the modern spelling changes pronunciation). Some of these are to conform to English standards that did not come into practice until the advent of the Authorised Version of the Bible (King James) in 1611.

In addition to the text of the Book of Common Prayer, Booty includes an interesting 50-page essay on the history of this version of the BCP, a good selection of notations, a reasonable bibliography (alas, out-of-date, but good up to its time), and a biblical index. The text incorporates actual rubrics ('rubric' has the old meaning of 'red print', which is so printed in this text, the notes of practice and ritual around the words). Those who follow Book of Common Prayer liturgies in their own churches will be intrigued with the similarities and the differences. Christians of other denominations will be interested in the borrowings and the variations. Historians will find this useful in many ways.

A worthy text.

This book is a valuable resource for all Anglicans, depicting the change back to BCP after the reign of Queen 'Bloody' Mary. Much is unchanged from the 1549 and 1552 editions, however there are some subtle differences, particularly in thought. This was the book which led to the more popular 1662 version, which is the basis of liturgy for the Anglican Communion.

Wasn't exactly what I thought, but is in excellent condition. It's small and easy to get through.

Because of my professional career, I collect quotation books about reading and literacy. And this collection by Bill Bradfield is the best I've found to date. Yes, he's got the standard oldies by folks like Emerson, Erasmus, and Shaw but he's also included up-to-date quotations from the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Malcolm X, and Stephen King. Granted, he included me in the list but I didn't need it -- I already knew what I said. At the price, it's the best bargain in quote books for anyone in education or libraries.

Written by anthropology professor and American West historical archaeology specialist Kelly J. Dixon, Boomtown Saloons is an exciting account of the excavation and analysis of four nineteenth-century Virginia City, Nevada saloon sites. Dixon personally participated the excavation projects, and offers a firsthand view of the evidence, and what its analysis tells us about the people and society of Virginia City well over a century ago. From the style of saloon architecture to reconstructed menu items, saloon serving ware, vices and amusements that saloons offered, and much more, Boomtown Saloons is a cutting-edge delve into the fine nuances of what archaeology can tell us about America's past.

Boomtown Saloons puts a humane and inclusive face on Old West culture. It was refreshing to see that there was more to life in Virginia City than Hollywood's interpretations.

This well written, informative, and entertaining book which should be a must read for anyone interested in the Old West.

" Born At The Battlefield Of Gettysburg: An African-American Family Saga is the true story of an African-American family that suffered from the unspeakable evil of slavery. The protagonist's mother was the daughter of free blacks in Philadelphia; kidnapped from her parents by slave catchers, she was enslaved on a Virginia tobacco plantation for 37 years before making a daring escape to Gettysburg on the night before the historic Civil War battle ensued. She was nine months pregnant, and determined that her child would not be born a slave. Born At The Battlefield Of Gettysburg is an impressively in-depth, heavily researched and brutally accurate portrayal of the methods and means by which the monstrous evil of slavery was justified and perpetuated, how religion was used both as a club to keep slaves in line and as a means of self-expression for the slaves, the operation of the Underground Railroad, and much more. Riveting and highly recommended, yet also shocking in its literal, realistic portrayal of man's historical inhumanity to man."-- Midwest Book Review

The lives of Victor Chambers-who was born on the battlefield at Gettysburg to a runaway slave and later became an artist in Providence-and his mother are chronicled in this book based on letters that Victor Chambers wrote to Rinaldi's great-grandfather, a Civil War veteran, in 1931. The story Rinaldi relates is emblematic of the fate of countless others whose lives were shaped by the scourge of slavery. Chambers' mother, a daughter of free blacks in Philadelphia, was kidnapped from her parents by slave catchers, who most likely included the notorious Lucretia (Patty) Cannon. After the kidnapping, Chambers' mother was enslaved on a Virginia tobacco plantation for 37 years before she made her escape to Gettysburg on the night before the historic Civil War battle erupted. She was nine months pregnant with Chambers-and determined that her child would not be born a slave. Gettysburg was a key stop on the Underground Railroad. This riveting chronicle provides valuable insights into the tactics and routes used by slave catchers in abducting free blacks, especially children, the atmosphere in slave markets; the role of religion as a means of control by owners, as well as a means of self-expression by slaves; the treatment of slave children; physical and psychological measures used by masters and overseers to control slaves; sexual abuse by masters; and the Underground Railroad as a clandestine operation.

The tape media adds the dimension of keeping you going and at the same time lets you think. You may still need a printed copy to see how certain words and names are spelled. On the surface this looks like just such a novel. It even has the standard formula of princes and castles and what not. Why would I have even attempted this novel? My wife insisted that Caroline Harvey; Joanna Trollope was not mindless. O.K. so I was challenged to red this one.
Ha! I spotted the formula and as soon as Lila Cunningham hit Malta I figured out pretty much how it was going to end. A curious thing happened. By then I was hooked and had to go on. There were many details that I did not guess. Unlike most formula books that try to hook you on romance or those ones that have endless nonsensical descriptions, this book had the feel that it was going somewhere and only described what was necessary to tell the story.
After I finished the book I said "See it was a formula book." Why would someone want to read about some girl in Malta? It was pointed out that the setting is to depict a different lifestyle. This is not so much of an escape from reality, but a diversion of a different reality. Later you see that the castle and prince and even the Perrimans are the backdrop of real people that we run across everyday. Lila's situations and decisions are ones we may have to make. The real story is about Lila, her choices and consequences. The story implies that she grows up. Personally I think she changed but that does not constitute growing up.
Ayn Rand says that love is a reflection of your values as seen in the other person. You can see this as Lila's values changed, so has the target of her love. Ayn Rand also says that you should not just live for love. You should have a career and or a purpose beyond love. Lila and others discover this throughout the novel. So this novel leaves you with many after thoughts.
Well done Caroline Harvey.

For the past three years, Lila Cunningham has dreamed of leaving her small village to live in London. However, almost twenty-one, Lila realizes her hopes seem out of reach due to her Pa's bungling that has left the family near financial ruin. A desperate Lila turns to her employer, the Perriams for guidance. The elderly couple offers Lila a deal. Lila and Pa can serve as caretakers of their home on the island of Malta.

Lila and Pa find the Perriman mansion in terrible shape with a peasant family squatting inside the home. As Hitler turns his attention on the island, so do some of the residents turn their eyes towards Lila. Schoolteacher Angelo Saliba wants the Englishwoman as his own. However, Lila ignores the native islander in favor of the exciting Anton, nephew to Count Tabia. Anton goes off to war with Lila vowing to wait for his return. As the war hits home, Lila begins to realize that substance is more important than a few luxuries, but is it too late for the transplanted Englishwoman?

The first Caroline Harvey novel published in America is a joy for fans of World War II romances. THE BRASS DOLPHIN is an exciting tale whose non-stop story line centers on what truly matters in life. The characters are intelligent and make the early stages of WW II seem as if it's on the TV. Internationally renowned for her works under the name of Joanna Trollope, Ms. Harvey will leave her admiring readers demanding the release of her other Harvey novels previously published in England.

Harriet Klausner

The book offers a variety of photos from throughout Buchanan County, both past and recent. It covers historical events, places and buildings. A history in pictures.

I grew up in Southwest Virginia, just south of Buchanan County. My father grew up in Buchanan County, and this book gave me a way to visit the landscapes he experienced as a child. The book, consisting primarily of photographs, gives a vivid picture of the lives of coal miners and other laborers. The photographs of the devastating flood of April 1977 and its aftermath are especially compelling.

Novelist Lee Smith grew up in Grundy in Buchanan County, and the book includes a photograph of the building (now demolished) that housed the Ben Franklin Store her father owned. I'm a devoted Lee Smith fan, and that picture was a bonus for me.

Mr. Lepp can tell a tall tale like no other person. The stories are detailed making all of them nearly truthful. His incorporation of local West "by God" Virginia landmarks and history add to the stories. A must have for anyone who loves tall tales or is from southern West Virginia.

Bill can spin a story and there is no doubt he could sell ice in Alaska. Have heard him at a story telling and this is just a sample of the tales he can tell. Whether he is fishing with the Monster Stick or training a gun-shy dog,(Buck) Bill is pure entertainment. ROFLMAO...