New York Books

I have not yet heard from my sister and brother-in-law, who were the recipients of this Christmas gift. They have an apartment on Central Park, but also have a place in Key West and may not yet have received the present. I thought it was a handsome book.

If you like birds, you'll love the unbelievable photographs. If you like Central Park, you'll enjoy the map on the front and back flats which help you identify where the pictures were taken. Glad I purchased this book.

Birds flying up and down the Atlantic flyway inevitably encounter a huge patch of concrete, asphalt and brick. In the center they see a large patch of green, with plants and insects. That's why Central Park in New York City is one of the best birding spots in North America. Several hundred avian species can be found there. In addition, there is another species there in large number, Homo sapiens birdwatcher and still another smaller subspecies, Homo sapiens bird photographer.

With all these birds, birders and bird photographers, there was a huge niche for a book called "Birds of Central Park". Cal Vornberger has filled that niche.

Vornberger has digitally captured the wide variety of birds that pass through Central Park. He presents these birds by season rather than in taxonomical order, which helps to give an impression of the bird life in the park the way that a birder would see it. Like all good photographers Cal is concerned with the light. But his style is different from those of other bird photographers, like Art Morris or Tom Vezo. Instead of being concerned with artistic composition, or deep focus to give a sense of the environment, the author seems aimed at a sense of intimacy with the individual birds. Most of the birds pictured fill the frame completely, forcing us to focus on the individual.

What is amazing is not only how close Vornberger has gotten to his subjects, but how he has caught them in the details of their daily lives. I have never seen so many photographs of birds with food, whether insects, berries or crustaceans, in their mouth. And he has caught many of these birds in flight, reminding me of the bird pictures of the great Eliot Porter. But the artist that Vornberger's portraits most remind me of is the great John James Audubon. There is this same sense of intimacy and presentation against a subtle background.

Occasionally, Vornberger brings his own special aesthetic to the book, as when he pictures a cardinal taking off in the snow on the face page to the winter section. The bird's wings are cut off, the bird faces away from us and the only way that the reader can tell that the white background is snow is from the white snowflakes that follow the bird's ascent. And yet this picture captures a moment better than most technically perfect photographs.

Vornberger's occasional remarks interspersed with the pictures often present a little known fact about the subject or give a hint to other bird photographers hoping to duplicate his accomplishments.

This book should not be considered a guide to Central Park's birds, although there is a convenient pocket guide in a slipcover in the back of the book. Instead it is a testimonial to the birds of Central Park. New York lovers, birders and photographers will want to page through this book to recall the avian pleasures of the park.

I'm not an ornithology buff, but I am a serious amateur photographer. I also happen to live in New York City and do a lot of shooting in Central Park.

I've seen Cal Vornberger a few times as he was going about his business and intensely bringing his huge 600mm lens to bear on some unsuspecting bird.

Until purchasing the book, my exposure (no pun intended) to Vornberger's work was limited to a few looks at his website.

While there are some standard "bird on a stick" shots, they do not by any means make up the majority of the photos. Frankly, anyone with a long lens can take a picture of a perched bird.

What sets Vornberger apart is his knowledge of each species and having the patience to wait for his subjects to be doing something interesting. His shots of so many different species going about the business of feeding, nesting and simply interacting with each other are outstanding.

The printing is excellent and the essays by Vornberger and Marie Winn are informative and very well written. I spend a lot of time in Central Park shooting general nature subjects, but Vornberger's maps led me to discover some areas of the park that I'd never before explored.

If you have any interest in birds, Central Park or photography, this is a must buy.

Just one look at the images of the beautiful Warblers amongst the tree limbs will melt your heart... This is one to definately have on your coffee table!!!

The Birth of Graffiti...I will begin by saying that if you have an inner soul of graff...the curiosity of where it was conceived...of how it was back in the day...the day where you werent even thought of...THIS IS THE BOOK THAT SPEAKS TO YOU THROUGH VISION.

I have never seen a book where the images speak to you as strong as they do in this book...but that is maybe because I have a love for NY and its Graff.

I have a GREAT amount of respect for Naar, and I thank him for bringing us these images of art(as we see it). He did not have to give us this gift, but he did. And the best way you can thank him is by purchasing this book AND adding it to your personal collection, as I have.

The photography is amazing...the shots are unique...and you can tell that the subject of the book IS the begginings of graff...where it all lived up to the hype that we are know. I was born in '79 and arrived to the USA in '84...so I never lived the days of which NYC was NYC...where the walls spoke in MANY voices and many ages in many languages. I have caught a glimpse here and there, but never what I have now captured with this BEAUTIFUL book of NYC-a city I love and GRAFF-the form of art I love.

If you really desire to know what it was like back in the day-on the real-how NYC really was...not no postcard propoganda stuff...GET THIS BOOK.

GREAT BOOK...take it from a cat who's introduction to graff was back in '92 seeing all the Kez5-Bruz-MsMaggs-FLone-Ench throw-ups all over Queens...

Get the damn book...you won't regret it.

NAAR...thanks man.

It was thrilling to see such a vivid documentation of early seventies New York and the graffiti of the period. The prints in this book mark an important period of graffiti's history where the building blocks of the craft were being developed for the first time on the walls, buses, and subways of New York City. Graffiti, for the first time became means of expression for a generation of urban youth in New York. The Birth Of Graffiti demonstrates the inception of style which was evolving on the walls of every borough of the city. Today the techniques and traditions pioneered during that period have been passed down through generations of graffiti writers to develop into one of the strongest and most innovative art movements of the last century. Before graffiti was on every brand of clothing, on billboard advertisements, and used for marketing schemes across the world, it appeared on, city buses, subway cars and the gritty brick walls of 1970's New York City. The youth of New York who created this work were the first innovators of this powerful craft which has now evolved into a worldwide art movement. Jon Naar's photography captures many important moments in a period of great change and turmoil for the city of New York.

this magnificent book speaks to me like no other book on graff, and i have many. aside from a nice introduction, there are no explanations about the photos, nor interviews with the writers, and none are needed. there is such a profound simplicity to these photographs. they expose the beautiful ugliness of urban blight in a sad and delicate light. you want to go there to relive a moment when things were louder, smellier and uglier but that much more innocent.(or so it seemed.) before digital, micro, macro, and the information super highway there was this; innocence, ignorance and bliss. there were no books, magazines or videos about it, there were no websites and rest of the world to share your passion with. there was just you and somewhere out there others like you. whole youthful identitys condensed into an alter ego embellished onto a steel messenger then sent to announce "you were there". unknown in the flesh but known in word and deed. we all spoke and wrote an esoteric language that only a choosen few really understood. to have been there, to have seen it, to have breathed it, ate it, sleeped it, to have known it as it was, not as it is now will remain to me always, a privlidge. how lucky we are that jon naar choose to preserve these precious moments in time as if it truly might mean something one day. i thank you sir. p.s. great review by j.son.

Birth of Graffiti could easily have been titled Faith of Graffiti 2. It is basically Faith of Graffiti with added photos from Jon Naar's archives. Some of these photos such as a The Man 550 piece and marker tags on long extinct subway vending machines bring me back to the days before a slew of talking heads with erroneous sociological and psychological theories started writing books explaining our culture. Mr. Naar's photos are striking and capture graffiti in the transitional period between tagging (single hits) and piecing. Many of the writers documented quit before piecing became the fashion , but the emphasis they put on handwriting style is more formidable than the signatures most writers throw up today. I watched this movement from birth to death on the NYC subways and was lucky enough to participate in it. Although not as visually dynamic as the work that came later, this period fascinates me more than any other. I grew up seeing the names featured in Naar's photos, wanting to meet them and follow in their footsteps. We all owe Jon Naar a debt of thanks for preserving the roots of an ever-changing culture. The book is a must have for any old-timers who want to re-live their glory days and neophytes who want to learn who the real pioneers of the culture were.

This is a really well done book - the photographs are incredible and the printing is perfect. Unlike many graffiti books, this one is very well laid out and is "arty." A very professional treatment of the rough edges of the first spray can art. If you lived in NYC in the 1970's this book will take you down memory lane. You will pick this book up time and time again.

This is a uniquely valuable and fascinating book, but first let's say what it's not. It isn't going to help you with your practice of yoga-postures and breathing. It isn't going to help you (much) with your spiritual practice of yoga.

Over the last 60 years a lot of effort has been made to adapt Asian spiritualities to the West. With an intimidating depth of scholarship, Eliade does the opposite. He discusses Patanjali's Dualistic Yoga, Shankara's Nondualism, Tantra, the "heretical" systems of Jainism and Buddhism in their original context, showing that all are variants of a single sublime and terrifying Idea given to us by India: that the whole universe of time, space and matter must be rejected because it is subject to change, decay and death; that it is possible to transcend the human condition entirely and to attain a diamond-like state of eternal purity, peace, changelessness and boundlessness devoid of specific characteristics. He shows too how these ways of liberation are all thoroughly intertwined with archaic cosmologies, physical theories and images of the body.

Instead of asking, What can the Buddha mean to us? he asks, What did the Buddha himself actually mean? The answer is stranger than you might imagine, and a hundred worlds away from contemporary Western-tailored Buddhism. This book is not for the faint-hearted: threaded with long Sanskrit word, capped by 65 pages of Notes. But persistence will be richly rewarded: with your newfound knowledge you will be able to infuriate your spiritually-minded friends and start any number of futile arguments.

Eliade researched for this book, while staying with Surendranath Dasgupta in India, who was the formost scholar of indian philosophy and thelogy at his time. Eliade meticulously analyzed the indian scriptures and commentaries on sankhya and yoga and presents yoga as a huge, complex and precise system of practice and philosphy with the goal of kaivalyam (libration). This book is a lighthouse in the present time of publishing as much as the printing press can print.

Eliade is the greatest of the modern interpreters of myth and religious practice, and Shamanism, along with his Yoga: Immorality and Freedom, are his two most brilliant works. If you love the study of comparative religion any myth, you'll love this book. Bear in mind that these books are about what people believe and how they think about those beliefs. Eliade is a scholar, not a pseudo-mystic, so expect brilliant analysis and insights, not a how-to book on New Age levitation, hepatoscopy, and Oomantia (divination using egg whites!).

I have the Bollingen paperback third printing of the Second Edition of 1969. I have little doubt that they used the plates from that hardcover edition, so the text is identical. The edition of 1970 currently available is the same as the one I have except for a new cover. The original was in French, published in Paris in 1954. This edition is professionally translated by William R. Trask.

Eliade was a nearly legendary scholar of indefatigable energy, and so it is not surprising that this is the definitive single volume academic work on yoga in English (that I am aware of). George Feuerstein's coffee table sized The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice (1998) is a different sort of book, covering yoga from a more practical point of view, and is accessible to a general public. Eliade's book is aimed directly and just about exclusively at academicians. Furthermore, while Feuerstein is a practitioner as well as a scholar, Eliade makes no pretense of first hand experience. As he relates in the Forward, he is interested in the discovery and interpretation of yoga by the West. He wants to explain that in detail. His is a "comparatively full exposition of the theory and practices of yoga...[a] history of its forms, and...its place in Indian spirituality..." (p. xx) The qualifying "comparatively" is a bit of modesty on the part of Eliade. This book really is a "full exposition" (insofar as that is possible) including the ideas, symbolism and methods of yoga "as they are expressed in tantrism, in alchemy, in folklore, in the aboriginal devotion of India." (p. xxii)

The text, which includes lengthy chapters such as, "Yoga and Brahmanism," "Yoga Techniques in Buddhism," "Yoga and Tantrism," "Yoga and Alchemy," etc. runs for 362 dense pages. Sixty-six pages of notes follow, and then a most extensive and valuable bibliography. The Index itself is 47 pages long and concludes with a by-line(!), "Index by Bart Winer," which is only right considering the text was written and set before the age of computers.

This is not a book for practitioners of yoga but a book for students and scholars of the literature of yoga. It is a challenge to read and appreciate and only really accessible to those with some experience with the literature. There is probably no serious yoga book written in the past quarter century that fails to cite it.

This book was my first introduction to yoga in the late 1960's, when the author taught at the University of Chicago and I did graduate work in South Asian Studies. Many decades later, after yoga teacher's training, studies in Carl Jung's archetypal psychology, alchemy and dreamwork I still find it a valuable reference book. It's a good introduction for anyone interested in following the development of yoga theory and practice in India: the major traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and even aboriginal cultures. Eliade's discussion of the art and practice of Tantric ritual is still among the best I've seen; it clarifies an otherwise confusing topic for the Western reader. A classic not only for yoga teachers' libraries and academics, but recommended for anyone with an interest in what yoga's really about, and where it orginated.

One of the best books every written about the Broadway Theatre. Lots of little known facts, lots of pictures. A fountain of knowledge and a must have for every Broadway buff.

This is an amazing book that covers from Gilbert and Sullivan to (almost) present day.
It is very much worth it's weight in gold if you love Broadway and Music Theatre.

This book is great for anyone - from the Broadway musical savant to the average curious person to the theatre student.

If you've seen the PBS television series, Broadway: The American Musical, this book acts as a fantastic companion and will look great on your bookshelf or coffee table!

It's virtually exactly the same as the DVD in terms of following the chronology of the development of Broadway but the great thing about it is it seems to come with additional pictures not seen in the series and great quotes. Forget about flicking on your DVD! If you need a quick reference you could turn to any page and find something interesting about Broadway to read about.

If you enjoyed the series and are passionate about Broadway, I would thoroughly recommend this book as it has everything in there that you'd need to know. Enjoy it!

If you're into theatre, this book is a must-have! You won't find any other book that gives you such a detailed and accurate history of Musical Theatre. The pictures are great and the reading is outstanding!

125 stories packed with interest. If Chicago is the city of big shoulders, we learn, Brooklyn is the city of big mouths. Mel Brooks growing up in Williamsburg. Coney Island weirdness. Neighborhoods decline and are reborn. The world's handball champ. Blacks, Jews, Italians. Park Slope, Bed Stuy, bensonhurst, Flatbush, Midwood, Gravesend. A black themed B&B in a Victorian mansion. Comedians, musicians, crooks, athletes , writers all tell their stories. Rivoting.

Great packaging, index, photos.

the most enjoyable book i have found to bring back the days of growing up in the wonderful, diverse city of Brooklyn. i keep 5 copies on hand and give them out to people i meet of my generation frim Brooklyn.

BROOKLYN: A STATE OF MIND, edited by Michael Robbins, is a treat for anyone who wonders about the place they always hear about in movies and t.v. or who was born and raised in the greatest borough of the greatest city on Earth (ahem). In spite of the gimmicky subtitle, this collection of essays and stories, photos and cartoons, film scripts and stills, is as informative, inspiring, stunning, human, and a little bit scary as the place itself. Some of my favorite pieces are:

1) David McCullough's "Harry Truman: Live and In Color in Brooklyn". (I'm a sucker for anything by McCullough, anyway.)

2) Glenn Thrush's "The Mistake of '98". In 1898, when Manhattan (which was New York City back then) incorporated the surrounding four boroughs to create Greater New York City, everyone thought it was a fantastic idea--everyone, except for Brooklynites, that is. Brooklyn, which at the time was the third or fourth largest city in the U.S., really didn't want to be associated with the dirty, corrupt and immigrant-filled island on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge. (Brooklyn wanted to be its own dirty, corrupt and immigrant filled place.) Thrush's piece is a fascinating look at the events leading up to and years after the consolidation.

3)Jon Gartenberg's "Brooklyn on Film: The Guy from Brooklyn in World War II". I had always remembered watching old WWII movies and, sure enough, there was always the Brooklyn guy. Even in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, the character, Reiben (sp?), is from King's County and wears a Brooklyn bomber jacket. Gartenberg explains why this staple became so common in this movie genre.

Lastly, the photos, some of the best are by Stanley Greenberg and Genevieve Naylor, provided some breathing room around the enormous amount of text. BROOKLYN: A STATE OF MIND is one of the best books about the greatest place on the planet. Got a problem wid dat?

Rocco Dormarunno, author of The Five Points

This is a scrapbook of the world's greatest city from the end of WW II to about the beginnings of television. It's necessarily sentimental because almost everyone who contributed to the volume doesn't live there any more. They (we) did our best and went elsewhere and although we may have succeeded because of the place we came from, most of had to leave to be who we are.
So this is a sentimental tribute to the old country. The photographs are wonderful-that is, they tell the truth as I remember it and some of the essays are great.
This is another bedside, bathroom, waiting room book best sampled in small doses and savored.

Lynn Hoffman, Brooklyn Tech '61 and author of New Short Course in Wine,The and the Brooklynesque bang BANG: A Novel

I grew up in Brooklyn in the 50s/60s. I now live in Los Angeles but I still miss the old neighborhoods. The stories in this book bring me right back. It's a great read for people who want to reminisce or for someone who would like to get a taste of life in a time of innocence in a place of unparalleled sense of community.

One of the more unlikely writers currently making waves in the crime fiction genre is Charlie Stella, who, at first glance, seems more likely to be a character on "The Sopranos" than a dazzlingly gifted novelist.

With his fourth book, "Cheapskates," Stella has combined his playwright's gift for crackling dialogue with another strong, character-driven story that resonates with authenticity and emotion.

Two friends have just gotten out of prison, determined to live life on the straight and narrow. That proves to be almost impossible, though, when the ex-cons run up against the mob and an offshoot of the Nation of Islam. When one of the men is murdered, the other is left to deal with an indifferent police force and find out why.

Stella writes with intelligence and wit, infusing his stories with the reality of the streets and a sly sense of humor. He might just be the best crime writer you've never read.

Charlie Stella is original, and is easily one of my favorite writers. This is NYC-Realism you won't find anywhere else. The characters speak, and you can smell their breath! You haven't heard characters speak to you until you know Stella. All of his books are great to read and learn from. Google his name and check out his site--his Knucksline and Plays are fun to read, but his novels are really the best.

Charlie Stella writes like he has more insight into
this dark world than a "good man" should.
Fabulous dialogue.
Page to page action.
Full of plot twists and double crosses.
A fitting follow-up to "Charlie Opera"
This is his best book so far.

Hopefully, soon, there will come a point where readers won't have to "discover" Charlie Stella because he'll have the recognition he deserves as one of our best crime novelists at work.CHEAPSKATES is a page-turner in the best sense of the word, both funny and suspenseful, with engaging characters, and a wonderfully orchestrated ending. Check out CHEAPSKATES and then go back (if you haven't already)and read EDDIE's WORLD, JIMMY BENCH-PRESS, and CHARLIE OPERA.

You know, life really isn't fair. Talented writers - really talented writers - like Charlie Stella languish in back rooms and low shelves while hacks like James Patterson make everybody's bestseller list.

"Cheapskates" is another crime fiction jewel from the wily Stella, a clever and darkly humorous tale of crooked deeds and undying, if misplaced, loyalty. Reese Waters and Peter Rizzo are roommates - roommates at upstate New York's Fishkill penitentiary. Reese has served his time, and upon his release, he promises Rizzo he'll do what he can to recover $50,000 his ex-wife chiseled from him. If the well-meaning Reese thinks he's getting the runaround from the pathologically greedy ex-wife, Janice Barrett and the low-rent New York gangsters her contractor dad and brother hang out with, he finds that life can get really ugly when buddy Rizzo turns up murdered.

What separates "Cheapskates" - and Stella - from the mob is the cast of offbeat characters that breeze through the pages of his novels. There's Jimmy "Wigs" Valentine, the slime ball Mafioso with lots of disguises but zero class. Then you have Micheal Barrett, the sixty-eight year-old self-made millionaire, who is so cheap that he stocks up on day-old and damaged Entenmann's pastry that he eats for breakfast - and lunch - all week long. Or Arlene Belzinger, the tough-as-nails NYPD detective with a body and attitude to match. But the real star here is Janice Barrett, a bitch in every one of the meanest ways the name conjures. A woman so miserable that Rizzo pines, "Sometime I think that if I ever got cancer, I'll run her over on the way to chemo." Combined with her cheapskate father and slacker brother, Stella creates a whole new dimension to the dysfunction family. Couple this cast with Stella's own brand of slick, hip dialogue and you've got some of the most engaging fiction of vice and corruption this side of Elmore Leonard.

So do yourself a favor - get off the well beaten track and get introduced to Charlie Stella. The Goodfellas and Godfathers have never been so entertaining.

Tony Cavalucci is a second generation NYPD police officer whose family life may be more hazardous than his job on the streets. As New Year's Eve approaches, the department ramps up for the crowds and the threats the Time's Square celebration always brings.

But the job isn't the only stressor on Tony's life. He has finally found the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with, and his dysfunctional family can't stand her or her four year old son. Christmas dinner is a disaster as his family, blind to their own hypocrisy, attacks Michele and her four-year old, illegitimate son. But through her eyes, he begins to see his family in a different light and doesn't like what he sees. But he can't totally walk away from his family either. Will they be able to reach a compromise, or will Tony continue to live alone in his small basement apartment?

That isn't the only complication in this hectic holiday week. His mother returns unexpectedly into his world. An alcoholic, she's shows up a changed woman. While at rehab, she made the decision to try to right some of the wrongs she'd committed while drinking. A recovering alcoholic himself, Tony begins to let her re-enter her life, in controlled amounts.

The Crossroads has a unique perspective. F.P. Lione brings the experience and the voice of a NYPD police officer to the writing, giving it a distinct feel and voice.

"The Crossroads" is the mesmerizing sequel to "The Deuce," written by husband and wife team F.P. Lione. It continues the story of NYPD cop Tony Cavalucci, struggling to apply his new found faith in God to his job and his relationships, especially those with his family.

Tony's week didn't start out well. Christmas Eve dinner with his family was horrible. They treated his new girlfriend, Michele, and her little boy Stevie so rudely it was hard for even Tony to believe. Tony can understand why Michele left upset. But he can only do so much, right? They're his family, and these destructive family gatherings are normal to him. But Michele doesn't want Stevie around that environment, and while she loves Tony, she puts a hold on their relationship so she can pray and think about what is best for her and Stevie.

Seeking God's wisdom and guidance is a brand new experience for Tony. But his partner Joe Fiore continues to help him, encouraging him to pray and pointing him to Bible verses that apply to the situations going on in his life. I appreciate the fact that the Lione's don't make Tony an "instant" Christian, automatically knowing all the right things to say and do now that he is a believer. He is still battling with past temptations. It's hard for him not to turn to old habits, such as drinking, when things get tough. But step by step we see Tony learn to view life, including his family relationships, with the new eyes that God is giving him.

Frank & Pam Lione have a rare talent of taking ordinary events and relationships we all relate to and making them so interesting you don't want to stop turning the page. It's also a realistic glimpse into the lives of NYPD's finest. While this book stands on its own and can certainly be read without reading "The Deuce" first, I think readers will enjoy the books more if they start at the beginning with Tony. I highly recommend the Midtown Blues series, and look forward to reading "The Skells," next in the series soon.

Tony Cavalucci has just helped arrest Santa Claus and The Grinch, and it only goes downhill from there on his busy midnight tour. Soon he's facing a machette-wielding bandit, just praying he won't have to shoot the guy. It's all in a night's work for this ten-year NYPD veteran whose story began in F.P. Lione's previous book, The Deuce.

The days before New Year's are busy ones in New York, where "The Crossroads of the World become the Center of the Universe as the eyes of the planet look to Times Square." It's also a chance for Tony to earn some overtime and he welcomes the diversion from his Italian family's disapproval of his girlfriend and her young son. When Christmas Eve dinner at his grandmother's becomes a near brawl as passionate family members verbally (and even physically) duke it out, Tony realizes he has to choose his loyalties fast--before he loses the only woman he's ever wanted to marry.

With his overtime detail of checking cars for bombs in the parking garages with his partner, Joe Fiore, there isn't much time for pondering his family troubles. It's fast and furious during the holidays in The City That Never Sleeps, and Tony wrestles more than once with hitting the bottle again. He's been sober for five months and he's proud of it, but the stresses are enough to stretch any guy to his breaking point. Will he have the strength to do what he knows is right or will he relapse into his old hard-living ways?

A brand new Christian, Tony refreshingly doesn't have it all together. He still smokes. He's still tempted to drink and look at women. But there is a difference in his life. He gets his job done, but with more compassion now. He helps a rookie cop the old-timers would've ostracized. He doesn't hate the perps like he used to. He's a work-in-progress, and he knows it, but he's truly making an effort to live out what he now believes. If The Deuce was all about Tony's journey toward God, The Crossroads is all about his struggle to live out his faith when life, and the people around him, go crazy.

As in The Deuce, you'll be treated to more cop lingo, like a "bus" for an ambulance, and "RMP" for Radio Motor Patrol vehicle, but I appreciated how the authors took even more care to explain unfamiliar terms, often including a definition in parentheses. And although Tony's often tedious directions of where he and Fiore travel on patrol (we drove down this street, then turned down that, then headed east on this) will probably be appreciated best by those familiar with New York City, it does give you the feel for their intimate knowledge of the streets.

Frank & Pam Lione aren't afraid to get down and dirty in their stark portrayal of a cop's life, but they never resort to anything gratuitous. The encounters Tony and Joe experience run the gamut: from the humorous (the bar-fight encounter of the men dressed as Santa and the Grinch), and the gruesome (pulling the personal effects off a dead man in a multiple car accident) to the downright bizarre (an eerie man who sleeps in a coffin). Here's a novel that reveals the true 411 of policework--it's not all chase scenes and gun battles.

Highly worth your time, The Crossroads is a story of reconciliation, consecration, and unforgettable extremes.

--Reviewed by C.J. Darlington for Infuze Magazine

Police drama lovers, this is your book! The husband and wife team of "F. P. Lione" (Frank and Pam) are back with THE CROSSROADS, the second installment in the "Midtown Blue" series and follow-up to THE DEUCE. If you haven't read the first novel, stop here and do so. Although this can be read as a stand-alone, you'll miss too much background. Plus, the first one is too good to miss.

The story opens as middle-aged single cop Tony Cavalucci and his New York City police department prepare for the chaos of New Year's Eve in Times Square. Since THE DEUCE, Tony hasn't had a drink for almost six months. His stalwart Christian partner, Joe Fiore, encourages him with scripture verses and pep talks. Tony is dating Michele, a teacher and unmarried mother of four-and-a-half year old Stevie. Although he's thinking about marriage, he's gotten her earrings rather than "the ring" for Christmas.

Tony's volatile extended family continues to give him trouble. "Hey, we put the fun in dysfunctional," says Tony to Joe. When Tony brings Michele and Stevie to his family Christmas get-together, things quickly disintegrate. Muses Tony, "Michele is always so tactful, she would never come out and say they were a bunch of psychopaths." As a result, Michele pulls back from the relationship, and Tony sees his family --- and how he interacts with them --- in a new light. In the process, he and his mother begin a reconciliation of sorts.

This second novel, like the first, still has some rough spots. The authors take care to explain some of the police lingo, but the explanations often feel intrusive and interfere with the flow of the story (a glossary might have served readers better). In some places, one wonders why an abbreviation was used at all (Tony talks about his RDO, then in parenthesis it says "regular day off." Why not just say it?) A consistent problem in both novels is that too many sentences begin consecutively with the same word or words and many of the sentences are the same length. There is also an overuse of the word "I." ("I unlocked the door... I tossed my keys... I had gotten a cell phone...) Although most readers won't consciously register these facts, they will likely find the writing choppy and repetitive in places.

Many things have improved since the first novel, including the mechanics of the characters and the more careful use of details that enhance, rather than bog down, the storyline. What remains the same is the Liones' terrific insider look at New York City and the day-to-day work of policemen working the streets. Both husband and wife are Italian American children of NYPD detectives, and Frank is a veteran of the New York Police Department.

The Liones' Italian-American heritage shows in the wonderful descriptions of food and of family get-togethers. Indeed, anyone reading the plethora of foodie details included here (the cops can't get a bagel without the Liones describing each flavor and topping) will feel compelled to fix a snack while they continue reading. However, beware: the "ick" factor is still in full play from book one. Some of the scenes include Tony helping an alcoholic repeatedly throw up buckets of blood, drunks wetting their pants in the police car, etc.

The Liones have a knack for using humor to leaven some of the darkness of police work, and several of the incidents are so bizarre you figure they must be real (the woman answering the door naked, the man dressed as a vampire in a coffin). I laughed out loud many times while reading, especially at the arrest of Santa Claus (drunk in a bar with The Grinch). The authors also excel at offering interesting, behind-the-scenes police factoids. I found the logistics of handling between 500,000 and a million people in Times Square for New Year's Eve fascinating --- who would have thought the deceptively simple gathering of so many folks on a holiday required such organization and careful handling?

Fans of THE DEUCE will be delighted with this second installment in the "Midtown Blue" series, which offers the same mix of humor, grit, and relationship tangles that made the first novel so interesting.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby. Contact Cindy at (...)

The Crossroads courageously bridges the gap between Christianity and the contemporary culture. With hard-hitting drama and an emotionally charged plot, this book appeals to readers on several levels.

The realism of police work in New York City is captured with the concise writing and personal knowledge of the authors. There is a genuine sense of danger as the officers respond to calls in this precinct. Readers will be on the edge of their seats wondering how each encounter will end.

This second book in the series further explores the relationships between the characters and their family and friends. Tony Cavalucci has committed his life to Christ and now he is trying to live according to his new beliefs. However, there are some serious and long-standing emotional issues between himself and his divorced parents. Readers will watch this character grow in the knowledge of the Lord. It's noteworthy that the authors have portrayed Tony's spiritual development with a sense of realism. His growth as a Christian comes in small, natural steps that blend well with the rest of the novel.

Excellent writing and exceptional dialogue makes each page come alive. The life of a police officer is shown with a clarity that is impressive. The authors captured the fears and uncertainties that surround police work, but contrasted that with the absolute confidence believers have in the Lord. The gospel message is incorporated into the story with skill and sensitivity. Readers will understand the ability of biblical truths to answer today's problems. -- Joyce Handzo, Christian Book Previews.com

Devilliers County Blues: 1972 picks up where Hell's Quest: 1971 ends. If you haven't read HQ yet, what are you waiting for? I digress, let me return to Devilliers. Once again John finds himself searching for purpose at the start of a new year. He simply wants to find purpose and healing for a torn soul. On his way to an unannounced visit to friends, his life quite literally goes all kinds of crazy.

Our hero finds himself locked up tight in a mental institution, where he is informed of the charges of murder against him. Inside he forms an unexpected alliance that must put aside hatred and misunderstanding if they ever hope to see the light of day again. Soon the improvised teammates discover escape is only the beginning. The truth around them is crazier than they can ever know.

Follow John and his Salt and Pepper Gang as they fight against insanity, the police, the media, and the Mafia. The odds are squarely stacked against them. Surely death is the only way out. You will find yourself wrapped tight at each twist and turn. When the mystery is finally solved, the ending is quite literally explosive. Now you can join the Salt and Pepper Gang and cheer them on as they battle impossible odds. The year 1973 promises to be one to remember, if only anyone lives to see it.

PATRICK RALEY is the author of the mystery, detective novel entitled "Precedent of Justice". Find out why Publisher's Weekly calls him "the next John Grisham."

John W. Cassell is the "Best of the Best" - a great author. He's witty, captivating, makes you cry and most importantly, he makes you laugh. One can never go wrong reading John W. Cassell. And "Devilliers County Blues 1972" is just another wonderful book by this amazing author.

I read this work of John Cassell's out of order. Hell's Quest takes place in the year before Devillier's County Blues, but I was taking the book on vacation and HQ is a larger tome and the airlines are getting picky about weight limits so in went the smaller of the two volumes. Now I am anxiously awaiting my flight home so I can start on HQ!
I have become friends with Brother John through the Amazon Shorts program and he is an amusing, insightful and creative correspondent. I have also read some of his other books and stories and thoroughly enjoyed them. But not even his earlier works prepared me for the thrill ride that is DCB. I like to write, and read, stories that have a twist in the tail (or even tale). DCB has surprises in abundance, combined with the usual cast of believeable and sympathethic characters and a clear feel for the times in which the action takes place. John weaves in political and social commentary without ever taking away from the story or, for that matter, even seeming to comment at all.
John can also write effective erotic passages without the anatomical detail beloved by some authors....read the account of the protagonist's encounter with Luella in the guard tower and see if you agree. He can write just as effectively of violence without recourse to graphic detail....read of the capture at the farm house and tell me that you don't feel the horror.
As I said, I have become friends with John and some may view this review as slightly biased. For the nitpicker, there are flaws to be found, but show me a four hundred page book without flaws and I'll shake your hand. If you want a book that entertains, makes you think, recalls a turbulent time with astonishing clarity, twists your mind like a pretzel with its surprises and plot twists and, finally, leaves you satisfied as you close its final page.....this is a book for you.

Discovered this book quite by accident whilst visiting the product page of Up The Down Staircase. Its author had submitted a review I found to be literary in its quality, logical in its argument. So I purchased DeV.

On one level this is the story of an individual trapped, not knowing how he came to be so, amongst others in an insane asylum. On another, it is the story of the legal system of America in 1972, the various decision-makers within it, and the author's un-stayed opinion of their worth and performance.

On both levels Mr. Cassell does an outstanding job of relating a thrilling cops and robbers type of story, a story complicated by the fact we really don't know who the good chaps are, do we? Indeed the reader must needs make that judgment for himself as the surface viewpoint pits a distinguished American entrepreneur and philanthropist against people of not at all similar social rank.

The judgement is not all difficult at the end, but the plot is compelling, John and his fellow escapees sympathetic as the drama unfolds. I might add there is an excellent collection of secondary characters who add considerable spice to the story. These include the solicitor Horowitz, the policemen Gariglia, Gardner, Marcuso and Pelligrini, the siren Louella, the bright and fetching Lindsey, not to mention Woodstock and Moonbeam!

A few surprises, some grisly psychological touches, some very clever villians and an overall winner of a story makes DeVilliers County Blues a must-read.

Discovered this book quite by accident whilst visiting the product page of Up The Down Staircase. Its author had submitted a review I found to be literary in its quality, logical in its argument. So I purchased DeV.

On one level this is the story of an individual trapped, not knowing how he came to be so, amongst others in an insane asylum. On another, it is the story of the legal system of America in 1972, the various decision-makers within it, and the author's un-stayed opinion of their worth and performance.

On both levels Mr. Cassell does an outstanding job of relating a thrilling cops and robbers type of story, a story complicated by the fact we really don't know who the good chaps are, do we? Indeed the reader must needs make that judgment for himself as the surface viewpoint pits a distinguished American entrepreneur and philanthropist against people of not at all similar social rank.

The judgement is not all difficult at the end, but the plot is compelling, John and his fellow escapees sympathetic as the drama unfolds. I might add there is an excellent collection of secondary characters who add considerable spice to the story. These include the solicitor Horowitz, the policemen Gariglia, Gardner, Marcuso and Pelligrini, the siren Louella, the bright and fetching Lindsey, not to mention Woodstock and Moonbeam!

A few surprises, some grisly psychological touches, some very clever villians and an overall winner of a story makes DeVilliers County Blues a must-read.

Retired NYPD Det. Al Sheppard is too humble to say so...but he is a True Hero! E-Man is an excellent book...a riveting account of his years with the prestigious Emergency Services Unit of the NYPD. There is an old saying "When a Civilian needs help, they call the Police. When Cops need help...they call the Emergency Services Unit...ESU!" I've known Al for some 17 years...and although I knew a lot about his 20 years of service with NYPD, even I didn't know most of his (and his fellow officer's) courageous exploits...detailed in this book. Buy it, read it, but be warned...You will have trouble putting this book down! --- Dr. J. Hill, Professor of Criminal Justice & Retired NJ Street Cop.

I cant wait till part 2 of E man comes out and hopefully it will.....I have read books by Schmetterer before....that is why this one caught my eye....The Coffey Files....and also Tom Walker has a new book out no one should miss.....A no put down amazing book.....by the author of Ft Apache the Bronx....we are lucky to have authors such as al sheppard schmetter and walker....readers like myself who like REal stories...need them...

Al Sheppard has done an excellent job of capturing what life as an E-Man is about. We have a saying, "Know your job, do your job" and Sheppard is a fine example of that.

From
An active E-Man

E-Man is a powerful collection of vignettes that showcase the excitement and energy of life in the NYPD Emergency Services Unit. It captures the true flavor of life in the streets without the sterilized writing you so often see in memoirs written by professionals trying to capture the essence of another's experiences. Schmetterer, the co-author, is to be complemented for not falling into that trap and thereby allowing us to experience Al Sheppard's life as an E Man as if we were there.

This book is as gripping and as exciting as the other reviews say it is. The only problem is its atrocious writing style, which is so bad that it obstructs the understanding of the content of the book. I had to reread many passages several times to figure out what Sheppard really meant. Topics are disorganized, digressions are sudden and often without appropriate context, grammar mistakes and typos abound (i.e. it's a 9mm submachine gun, not ".9 mm"; one rappels with a rope, not "repels"), police jargon and New York specific idioms are not always explained, and so on. Clearly, nobody proofread the manuscript before publication.

On the other hand, the rambling, conversational feel of Sheppard's writing style serves in a way to authenticate the story. His adventures don't have the life sucked out of them by the blandness and distance that would be imposed by an active co-author. You really feel like you are talking to the man who lived the story, rather than hearing it second-hand.

And what a story it is! Sheppard makes it clear that NYPD ESU is an incredible organization. If you are at all interested in the workings of SWAT teams, rescue operations, or anything related, this book is, despite its flaws, a must-read.

Excellent book -- tons of great restaurants, classic ethnic recipes to make when you get home, indexes by ethnicitiy and locale make places easy to find, explanations and introductions are interesting and informative. If you live in or will visit Queens, this is a great book to have.

Excellent book, beautifully printed, with fascinating information on the foods of many different countries. As Queens County (in New York) has over 150 different ethnicities (the most ethnically diverse county in the US), this is a very welcome addition, and quite obviously a labor of love. Even though it originally came out in 2005, it is still worth purchasing for the great food descriptions of various cultures and the recipes included at the back of each chapter.

In a city that offers thousand of possibilities for food lovers, one needs a very talented and focused Suzanne Parker to separate the wheat from the chafe.
Ms. Parker did a great job in unveiling the cuisines of so many nationalities, and also included excellent recipes for those among us who dare to try.

Organized by ethnic cuisine, this book is a wonderful guide to the vast restaurant scene in Queens, which is underrepresented in both restaurant guides and the New York media. The author has included descriptions of the various cuisines and dishes, and also contact information and easy to follow directions for how to get to each restaurant. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves to eat and wants to get to know New York better.

This book is really quite something. It is jam packed with recipes, restaurant information, and unforgettable facts the likes of which I have never come across in any other cookbook or restaurant guide. This book fills a niche that has been empty far too long.