Canada Books

A set of twins trade lives for a time. This novel is the sequel to Deceptions. It's full of suspense, surprises, and tears.

Don't be fooled. This is not a children's story. It is a wholesome story but it is so much more. This is one of Lucy Maude Montgomery's best! (and that is saying alot) Her characters are mesmerizing. The plot twists surprising. You can't put this book down.

I recommend this book to any L.M. Montgomery fans an absolute delight this and The Blue Castle are among my favourites.

The various family tales in here were intriguing to read about, and I especially liked the character of the old aunt who started this whole mess ;)

A Tangled Web is the perfect title for this story, which criss-crosses through the lives of several main characters. It can be a little hard to get your bearings through the opening chapters, which introduce many characters, but it's a very enjoyable story once you're into it, and one I've personally read several times.

The main thread of the story is that Aunt Becky died, leaving a highly-prized family heirloom to... who? She leaves her will with a trusted member of her clan but refuses to say what criteria will be used to choose who will inherit it. As a result, many members of her clan change things about their lives they knew she wouldn't like, and many interesting events take place as a result.

There are love stories a-plenty, of course

Those familiar with L. M. Montgomery's style, characters and plot devices will recognise many of them in this story - lovers splitting up over a trifle, bitter grudges held for years, clan loyalties and rivalries. There's a lot of her characteristic humour and charm.

I read this book to my students. But before I had read it myself, I shared it with my students. It was very emotional for me. (I have a cousin listed on the wall. His son was born about 4 months after he died. I could see my uncle walking his grandson there.) The book was a beautiful, moving tribute to all those who have given their lives in Vietnam.

Being a "baby boomer" from the Vietnam era, I think this book will help explain to my grandchildren about Grandpa and his war time. It is beautifully illustrated and tender. I wish I'd had this book when I went to see the Wall with an 8th-grade girl who made an etching of her Grandpa's name. It may not mean as much to anyone who hasn't been touched directly by the Vietnam war, but it touched my heart.

The Wall by Eve Bunting is an incredible story of remembering. It all starts when a little boy and his father visit the Vietnam War Memorial. The father, who wishes to find the name and remember the good times with him, takes a piece of paper and and pencil and traces the name off of the wall. The little boy, who just wishes his grandfather was there with him, sadly watches another little boy and his grandpa on a walk. This book about rememberance will make you sad until the very end. Eve Bunting does a great job setting the mood at the Vietnam War Memorial. I give this book a thumbs up and believe it's the best children's book ever. Read The Wall by Eve Bunting to find out what happens in the end.

Loosing a relative can be tough, especially if your close to them, or too young to ever experience or meet them. All you can do is wonder. The book The Wall by: Eve Bunting, is aobut a dad and his son that go and visit the Vietnam War Memorial in memory of the dad's father, or the son's grandfather that died in the Vietnam War. Eve Bunting describes what happens there from a child's point of view. It is very realistic, and makes you feel like you are really there.
This book not only teaches little kid's lessons, but is good for even adults. IT really took me back and made me think. It made me think of how valuable our lives really are, and when we die, who is really affected by it. Also, it taught me that loosing someone you love doesn't always have to be sad, especially if they have died fighting for what they believe in. So, if somebody you know died, think of the positive side. Reading this book may take you back, and let you think of why they were so special.

The Wall
by Eve Bunting
Illustrated by Ronald Himler

You should read this book because it's great and it's about someone you will remember and someone you love! The main Characters are the Dad, son, and an old man from war, and grandpa. Dad and his son are trying to find grandpa's name on the wall. The wall is in Washington D.C. They can't find their grandpa's name even though they keep looking up and down.
Dad and his son find grandpa's name! what do you think his name is? The book tells you a note and tells you where the wall is and it is in Washington D.C. it also tells you why the wall was made.
By reading this book you can learn to Keep doing your best, keep looking for what you want, and don't give up. Keep looking for what you love too! What do you love to find that you love so much? What I love to find is my family and my things I love. So if you love to find your family then read this book!!!!!!!!!!


By Tanashia C

I live in North Carolina and I have been able to identify all the snakes, lizards, turtles, and frogs that I have found using this book. Good descriptions and photos to help you tell the difference between different species.

This book features clear plates with apparently well painted views of probably all the species of amphibians and reptiles occuring in Canada and the USA east of the Rocky Mountains, apparently also including those of Puerto Rico and introduced ones. Unfortunately, the plates of the third edition from 1998 are printed badly, with the colour dots not completely blurring in front of the reader's eye, and the pictures are a little tiny anyway. On the page opposing the plates are the common and scientific names given, as well as some important details of their appearance. Many species are represented with several images (e.g. from the side, from below; adults, juveniles), but this would probably be warranted for even more species.
The species accounts are, however, usually much too short, giving almost no detail about biology and life history of the species. Among them are, however, some colour photographs, whose printing resolution is usually also somewhat too bad, though.
The range maps are in colour and show the different subspecies in different shades, yet they are also somewhat confusing, because water bodies like the sea or the great lakes are not shaded differently from the land, so that their borders look like the state borders, and because the range borders have also be drawn in black (maybe for copying?).
Laudable is the existence of a general section about amphibians and reptiles and their catching, handling and captive care. This section would be worth expanding, though.
The third printing (1998) is/was, as already stated, not very good because of its low colour resolution and its maybe somewhat too small size, and it is/was bind only as paperback with relatively thick pages throughout.

Thank you for your timely shipping of this brand new book. I ordered it for a friend who is looking forward to getting it soon.

I have had this book for several years and absolutly love it. Not only is it nicely informative, it holds up well in the feild. I can not begin to count the number of times I have slipped (I generally keep it tucked in my waist band) in creeks on outings. After years of abuse, my cover is a worn, spine wrinkled and paged stained, but it's still solidly bound.

The book is great. Wonderful range maps, nice pictures, generally good ID characters. Could use some more info on larval amphibian identification though.

This is a cook book and a how-to-do-it prep book for classical French cooking. While the recipes are excellent, the pics on how to prepare in the classical style are the best I have ever seen--the phototography is exceptional. Pretty much every step in classical cooking is explained from prepping meats, poultry, and fish to baking. While extremely useful in the kitchen while prepping and cooking, this could also be a coffee table book--it is that beautiful.

This is one of those reference works that every cook should have at hand. Whether you are into serious gourmet cooking or you merely want to know how to carve a turkey or what part of the cow does a strip steak come from, you will have the answer in this book in beautiful color illustrations and easy to follow explanations.

I simply love this book. My native language is not English, but I could read it and understand very easily. Also, it's full of unforgettable insights which I like the best. So I would recommend this book to people like me - not very fluent in English, but eager to learn how to cook properly.

Not so much a cookbook as a practical guide to French technique, from the basics to the challenging. And it's got lots of color pictures! I've used the instructions to cut up a duck, to make bechamel, and to bake the chocolate-walnut cake. But I've also used the book to refine my technique to improve upon recipes from other cookbooks. A wonderful addition to my library.

There are many books on basic skills to advanced skills in the kitchen. However, I think this book still remains one of the best. I have seen books come and go, but this stands the test of time... Excellent descriptions, excellent pictures and inclusive of all that you should know and want to know as a chef. Foodies at home will appreciate it too. This book is a classic.

To read Dr. Baiev's story is to once again, but on a uniquely disturbing level, understand the cruelty that war imposes upon those who's only mission is to help the injured. I am a surgeon myself, and I have had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Baiev. His story and his actions are the stuff of heroism. But he remains an outcast by his former Soviet countrymen. How ironic today's papers tell of yet another Russian Crisis (Georgia). How many other Dr. Baiev's are out there as I write. Many, I'm sure he himself would say. Many.

This book is far more than a memoir -- it is a page-turning narrative of the wonderful and terrible drama of life and war in a region about which we think little and know even less, written by a man of exceptional bravery and humanity. I met Dr. Baiev shortly after his arrival in Washington, DC, where my girlfriend (working for Physicians for Human Rights at the time) coordinated PHR's assistance to Dr. Baiev in Washington. At the time I had little appreciation for just what this man had been through, although it was obvious he had survived a harrowing ordeal. To read now the full story behind the brief weeks in which his life intersected ours has been both fascinating and deeply moving. His account of living as a Caucasus youth in the Soviet Union, his struggle to become a doctor, and his extraordinary dedication to his profession, his people and and his faith through two protracted and brutal wars is by turns fascinating, inspiring and heartwrenching. You will not find a more intimate account of the conflict in Chechnya, nor a better illustration of the way that such conflicts have become simultaneously global and local. If you care about peace, if you care about the prospects for a free and prosperous world, you cannot afford not to care about the gross violations of human rights that accompany conflicts increasingly economic, sectarian and cultural all at once. Dr. Baiev's gripping account puts a profoundly human face on the complexity and the urgency of coming to grips with the destructive conflicts that need not and should not continue into the twenty-first century.

If you plan on investing your time in reading one book this year make it this one. It is a remarkable tale of an honourable man trying to survive in barbaric times under the tyranny of Putin's Russia. Hassan Biev states that one in every five chechens has been killed as a result of the conflict. However after all this carnage the war stills continues and the state still exits in the hearts of men like Dr. Biev. Perhaps the actions of people like him will ultimately lead to peace in that most violent of places.

Let me begin by saying that if everything in this book is true Dr. Baiev has my total respect and admiration. It's inspiring to realize that people of his caliber do exist.

There are, however, one or two disquieting features of this book that I feel compelled to mention. After having read the initial reviews I had expected not only a compelling story of human strength amidst tragedy, but a book of high literary accomplishment. That has not come to pass. Whatever Dr. Baiev's own writing style, it has been submerged in the journalistic style of Nicholas and Ruth Daniloff. Nick Daniloff is he of the famous Soviet espionage sting of the 1980's when he was arrested in Moscow in an apparent KGB set-up. Ronald Reagan himself is reported to have been involved in getting Daniloff released. I just wish Dr. Baiev had been able to choose a more literary writer to assist him in developing this book.

Another point I'm almost embarrassed to make is that Dr. Baiev comes across in this book as almost too good to be true. Not only is he an heroic doctor, brave humanitarian, and loyal son, brother, and friend, he is also described a medical entrepreneur, a doctor who not only moonlights as a cosmetic surgereon, but who is also a national martial arts champion! If this book is made into a film I can only imagine Harrison Ford playing the part of Dr. Baiev. It almost seems as if some of Dr. Baiev's financial and sports successes were included in the book just to appeal to the certain segment of the community that might find those aspects of his life as compelling as the humanitarian work of saving lives and limbs amidst war and destruction.

Nevertheless, the book is full of unique tid-bits. While many people reading it will be aware of Russia's halting attempts to convert its military forces from a large army of draftees to a smaller one of professional soldiers this is the first time I'd seen such a negative depiction of these new contract soldiers. I don't think I'd have gotten this insight anywhere but in this book. Likewise, it was also very interesting to read that in addition to the fight between the Russian military and the Chechen rebels there is a criminal, opportunistic element also actively engaged in exploiting the tragedy of Chechnya and which appears to be much more influential than I would have imagined. I think that this insight is very valuable, not only in the context of the Chechenya, but in understanding the influence of criminal opportunists in other conflicts. For me this insight itself was worth the price of the book.

I certainly recommend The Oath, worts and all.

If you are interested in war, modern politics, news, or human rights, you need to read this book. It shows what warfare is really like, what happens to people after governments make decisions. And it is heartbreaking, but you cannot put it down.

The conflict in Chechnya is mostly forgotten and then often miscontrued topic for most of the world. Dr. Khassan Baiev's memoir sheds a light on the horrors of life in Chechnya since 1994, what this ghastly, genocidal war means for the common people and Russian grunts. Baiev is a surgeon with a big heart, and never turned anyone away. He explains casualties from the rather disturbing anatomical perspective of a surgeon, illustrating how fragile bodies and how much pain people can suffer.

The book starts with his life before the war: of the ancient and beautiful Chechen traditions, of the extreme and often brutal Russian racism. As you read the book, the cultural differences between the ancient highlander Chechens and the rest of the Western world seem dwarfed by how lovely their life was, and how, as you read it, you can see yourself in their world. What stays with you is that once you empathize on this level, the eruption of war and desolation is utterly heartbreaking. Because Baiev lived it we see an intimate world being shattered, not a headline.

Baiev (narrowly) survives years of war until both the Russians and Chechen guerillas are out for his head because his clientele includes everyone (and mostly civilians) so he has to escape to America, and eventually moved to Boston. His observants description of coming to America, seeing how peaceful it is here, how people of many races coexist, and how a town in Vermont took care of his family, gives you a deeper appreciation for what we have in this country and that many take for granted.

I've never read anything that captures so vividly and personally the heartbreakingly human face of war. I think everyone should read it just to be educated on something that is going on at this moment, but that many people do not know about or simply don't understand. It speaks of overwhelming swaths of cruelty and evil, but also transcendent moments of grace and joy, humanity between enemies. Baiev treated anyone who needed help, so we see souls, not sides.

What steals the breath from you, what made me rather emotional, is how war is revealed here as so useless, so tragic, so profoundly evil because we are all people, and war destroys and perverts this sacred life that we all share in.

THE GOLDEN KEY by George MacDonald is nothing short of fascinating. It is all at the same time a fairy tale and a unique mystery. The first time I read it, (and now I honestly cannot figure out why) I didn't care for it. But I kept hearing more and more wonderful things about it. So, I read it again, and it enveloped me. Recently, I read it for a third time. And loved it still more.

To describe the plot of this story would do it no justice. Reading this little story is much more like wrapping up in a warm, thick blanket on a cold and rainy night. It is filled with wonder, suspense, beauty, and innocence.

I can't wait to read it again.

I love fairy tales, and this story is a most excellent example of the genre. It follows two children on their journeys through Fairyland and their interactions with various fantastic people and creatures. I loved the pure innocence of the story and found it very captivating. The narration was also very excellent and energetic, making this story a very good listen.

While The Golden Key may not be my all-time favorite book, it certainly has a strong connection to the book that I treasure most of all (well, second to the Bible). You see, George MacDonald, author of The Golden Key, was in fact the mentor of Lewis Carroll, who wrote my favorite non-Biblical book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. That's a very powerful and indeed shocking connection if you ask me. But you can kind of see it if you look closely. I mean, the kids in the Golden Key grow both old and young. Alice in Wonderland grows big and small. Kinda similar there.

Yet, I did not know about the relationship between the two books until AFTER I had finished The Golden Key and decided to do some research on its origin. I simply read The Golden Key like I would any other book, and developed some commentary on the work as a whole that I would now like to communicate:

First, the book is very short. I finished it in two days. And because its so short, events move incredibly fast to make room for heavy amounts of whimsical feeling and fantastical description.

But again I have to go back to the Alice thing. I noticed how SO many sentences in the story turned the reader upside down and made him say, "huh?" It was as if the Fairy World did everything it could to stay all out of whack. Whether it was to make speech that could be heard without ears, or to make the oldest people in the world look like little kids, the topsy-turvy nature of everything couldn't help but instill an amazing sense of awe. Truly, The Golden Key opens eyes to such incredible abstract possibilities of the imagination, and perhaps even life itself.

The out of whack sense of awe, while wonderful in this book, developed into full maturity in the Alice books. While The Golden Key merely mentions things that make no sense, the Alice books actually attempt to explain the senselessness of senseless things.

I hope I will always have a special place in my heart for MacDonald's prototype of Alice in Wonderland. Oh, if we only knew how much the imagination behind The Golden Key has really changed the world. I think we would all be very surprised.

I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for my 20-year-old daughter. It was one of her favorite books as a child and she frequently checked it out of our local library until it disappeared from the shelf there, never to be seen again. She was very excited when she saw that she had her own copy and she took the book back to college with her after Christmas break. Although I haven't actually read the book myself, I can tell you that my daughter thinks it is great!

This book is like a drink of the freshest, clearest water on the brightest, bluest spring day you can imagine. It was lovely every step of the way, somehow beautifully sad and wonderful at the same time. With the aid of the creatures of fairyland, mistreated Tangle and adventuresome Mossy go on an enchanting journey which takes them straight through to a wisdom and sense of wonderment that is somehow greater than that found in adulthood (or childhood). George MacDonald truly had an eye for the worlds of fairy, and an unsurpassed talent for expressing beauty in all things. The stories are not always meant to be understood, but deep in that inner place in one's heart, they make sense.

I was standing in a college bookstore and saw this title as the text for a class on Asian history. I typically have no interest in this genre but this book was riveting. The detail and genuine quality of the author's words are unique. One expects a POW who was tortured to seek out the torturer for revenge not forgiveness. This story has a beautiful, eternal message to the rest of us who hold grudges over much smaller offenses.

When I read this book 10 years ago, I couldn't understand what Lomax was talking about when he described how he was held down by Japanese soldiers, a cloth placed over his face, and water poured over him.

It's now very topical.

It's a very honest and informative personal story, as well

What an incredible book I was not able to put down. I am a big military history buff and found the early pacific theater defeats very disturbing especially the battles in and around Malaya.

The treatment of Mr. Lomax was not surprising as the Japanese were ruthless. Putting this experience into such a personal and riveting ordeal makes this book a must read. Eric Lomax puts personal vivid perspective on the years after his ordeal that is often left out of most military history accounts of battle, defeat and capture.

This book is very cathartic and brought tears to my eyes. Forgiveness is a more powerful emotion and triumphs over anger and revenge.

I read this book when it was first published about ten years ago and the moving experience has remained with me since I finished the final sentence. It is an incredibly vivid book that you will not be able to put down.
What Eric Lomax went through as a POW, and his eventual reconciliation with one of his torturers 50 years later displays a depth of humanity that is deeply moving.

i also read this when it first appeared, was deeply moved and presented it to my wife's father, a ww2 veteran. i write this review today because a man george bush proposed for attorney general is about to be approved while refusing to admit that waterboarding is torture.

as every reader of this book knows, this is precisely the torture that was used on the author eric lomax, which terrified and impacted him for his entire life, and made it so hard for him to forgive even the interrogator present during it.

several reviewers have said this book documents how brutal was the japanese treatment of prisoners, and i agree.. how can we allow ourselves to become the same as those wartime enemies we have characterized as monsters? god help us if we do not object..

The experience one derives from wine is not like any other beverage; it is an adventure of exploring the land and the people from which it comes. It is an expression of the Providential weather, climate and soil as well as the blood sweat and tears of those who pour out their lives into the craft of wine making.

There are many books on wine that provide historical facts about production, viticulture regions, step by step instructions on how to make wine and a lot of "how to" tips on enjoying it. But they tell you little about the soul of the writer and nothing of the adventure of traveling the wine country, meeting the people or what it is like to have first hand experience in the wine making process.

The difference between Natalie MacLean's book "Red, White and Drunk All Over" and so many others is that while many authors can provide a lot of professional wine making technical information for Natalie, "...my real wine education has largely been through the people I've met and the places I've been." Like most wine enthusiasts I have met, Natalie has a story to tell of her discovery of the grandness of wine that sounds almost like a religious conversion experience. It is a moment when the light comes on and the mystery of wine grabs hold of you "that evaporates with the cold touch of analysis." You develop an insatiable appetite to learn more about wine and why it is the perfect catalyst for enjoying food and fellowship with friends. Natalie shares her personal story with her readers and as you travel with her you will find greater inspiration for exploring vineyards and the desire to expand and mature in your appreciation for the culture of wine.

I have also read countless books, journals and magazines about wine but the telling of her personal traveling experiences is where Natalie MacClean sets herself apart as a writer. As a wine-writer and fellow explorer I feel a great kinship with Natalie for I too have a "conversion story" and until recently my own education about wine has come from my interaction with wine growers. In her book Red, White and Drunk All Over she shares her experiences as she takes you along with her on her wine travels to Old World and New World wine regions. She will also invite you into the inner sanctum of fine wine shops as well as into the battlefields of wine critics.

Sound intimidating?

Well, have no fear for along the way you will learn with Natalie all that you need to know about wine. You will gain a knowledge of various wine varietals, soils as well as the enigmatic and allusive concept of "terroir." Along with Natalie you will experience the process of nurturing the nectar of the grapes from vine to wine while gaining an appreciation of the heritage of Old World wineries as well as come to love the visionary souls of those who are pushing the envelope in New World territories. Yet this is no dry textbook for it reads as a Meritage of adventure story, romance novel and an introductory class on enology and viticulture.

If you are looking for a fun, leisurely and yet insightful way to learn about wine then I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of "Red, White and Drunk All Over." Then pour yourself a glass, snuggle up to a cozy fire and read along with Natalie. Or, better yet, buy several copies and get together with your family and friends, open a bottle get ready for a fun time of adventuring the world of wine exploration.


For more wine country and travel related articles, see my "Adventures in Wine Tasting" web site at: http://erikwait.blogspot.com/

Reading the book while I'm in the right environment (France - lovely wheather - Lac Léman - tasting and buying wine - et cetera) gives me lots of pleasure. It's not only informative but also 'funny' (excusez le mot) and - while I'm half way the book - puts me in a situation where I have to choose: read the rest of the book or drive to the next planned stop in Marin (Savoie) for wine to taste again... Just decided to follow my nose... and read on in the book when I return.
Conclusion when I finished the book: can't wait to read the next one!

I have only skimmed through this book but from what I have seen I believe that it will prove informational. Also, from this book I have subscribed to a newsletter from the author and find this very informative also. I would highly recommend this to a beginner or an old hat in appreciating wine.

Reading this book was like listening to a girlfriend talk about a subject near and dear to both of our hearts. While reading this book, I felt like I was experiencing her journeys and education with her- and with quite a bit of a sense of humor. All to often, it seems wine educators take themselves (and wine) too seriously. This book will teach you more about wine production, selection, and food pairing without being snobby and pretentious. It was fun, easy to read, and informative. I hope Natalie will be writing more books!

This is the first book that I've read that actually makes it fun to
learn about wine. It's relaxed and realistic for the wine novice.
Natalie teaches about wine to those who want to enjoy it, not just look
impressive ordering or drinking it.
I retained more real world knowledge about wine reading this than I have reading the wine magazines and tomes.

If you are a writer, or an aspiring one, you NEED this book. 90+% of publishers don't take unagented material. This book will help you to find an agent, and help you to get that manuscript you've worked so hard on published.

I found the information in this guide to be extremely helpful in targeting and securing the right agent. The details that are provided, such as what percent of new authors the agency represents, the types of books the agency represents, and quotes which detail advice from the agents insured I sent my information to those who would be most interested. And it worked!!

You know you need an agent to shop your work, negotiate your contracts and get your manuscript into doors closed to unrepresented authors. Your next step is to add the "2003 Guide to Literary Agents" to your writer's toolbox.

Articles from industry professionals address the most common issues writers face: do you need an agent, how do you find the right agent and how to avoid bad agents. But these articles also walk you through the entire process of getting an agent - from what to do before you begin your search, all the way to knowing your rights before you sign a contract.

The heart of this book lies within the agent listings. Every year contact information, current needs, submission guidelines and contract details are 100 percent updated.

Besides agents who represent fiction and nonfiction work, you'll also find sections on script agents, independent production companies and independent publicists. Most agent listings also specify which writing conferences the agents attend so be sure to look in the writing conferences section to find the details on a variety of writers' conferences in the U.S. and Canada.

Your search for an agent is crippled without this guide in your arsenal. If you're serious about getting an agent to represent your work, the yearly "Guide to Literary Agents" is an absolute must.

I'm telling you, these Writer's Digest people really do it right. If you're looking for a literary agent, this is the place to look.

The book starts with articles about getting and working with an agent and interviews with reputable agents and editors. Do you need a New York agent? Should your agent suggest rewrites? Do editors like agents, or is their relationship combative? How can you tell a good agent from a bad agent? Do you even need an agent?

All of these questions and more are answered. You'll even find examples of successful query letters, synopses, and outlines. You'll learn the components of a nonfiction book proposal. All of the basics are covered.

Then comes the actual agent listings, divided into two sections: nonfee-charging literary agents, and script agents (both nonfee and fee-charging). Listings include contact information (including e-mail addresses), professional memberships (like AAR or WGA), what they did prior to becoming agents, number of clients, percentage of new authors, percentage of novels versus nonfiction books, genres they represent, preferred method of contact, recent sales, conferences they attend, terms of representation, and tips. There is also a key to let you know how open the agency is to new writers.

New in this year's edition is a listing of independent production companies and screenwriting contests. And nonfiction authors and novelists may enjoy the listings of publicists.

More than 600 agencies are listed. I've begun querying, and have already found several agents who responded positively to my e-mail queries.

The agents listed in this book are pre-screened and deemed to be legitimate, reputable agents. No more surfing the Internet and trying to guess who's legit and who's a shyster. If you find an agent through these listings, the book can pay for itself a hundredfold. It's a very worthwhile investment in your career.

If you are a writer, or an aspiring one, you NEED this book. 90+% of publishers don't take unagented material. This book will help you to find an agent, and help you to get that manuscript you've worked so hard on published.

This book could easily have been titled "Everything you ever needed to know about rural land sales but didn't know who to ask, or even that you should ask." The Schers give detailed explanations of very complex real estate issues that you just aren't going to be familiar with if you've only bought urban housing or have never bought property at all. I personally know people who have experienced some of the real estate and legal horrors that Les describes in this book. I'm so glad someone finally put all this information together in one somewhat easy-to-read reference... now I know how to keep myself out of the same jams! Even the things that don't specifically apply to my location are good to understand since, in some way, they might still affect me in the long run. Lots of great pointers to additional references and government/legal agencies that I've been trying to pin down.

Definitely a MUST HAVE for any modern homesteader... enthusiastic two thumbs up!!!

I read the book, it cover a lot of the things that I haven't even think about for owning land. Anyone who is looking to buy land to invest, this book is a must read.

My husband and I are considering buying some undeveloped land. While we own a house, we know nothing about rural land purchases and didn't even know what questions we should be asking. This brook provided a good overview of issues to consider, and the checklist at the back of things to inspect/ask about for each property was especially helpful.

This guide has everything I could imagine and alot I couldn't....which is of course the point.

If comprehensive is what you want, this should make you happy. The problem is that if you follow every bit of advice in this book you will have to quit your job and make finding your place a full time endeavor (or spend years part time). The advice is all good, but it almost makes the task seem more daunting, not less. Still great for learning all the issues and things to look out for, then you decide how much effort to put into footwork before buying your piece in the country