Maryland Books

What a great book! I thoroughly enjoyed the photos and write up regarding the home and farm within this publication. A keeper.

This book is enchanting. I'm amazed at how the two artists/gardeners have fused together their art and lives. The many photos are lovely and full of wonderful, earthy ideas. I only wish I could step through the pages and experience Seven Gates Farm first hand! Instead, I will be content to allow the book to be a life-long inspiration for me. Thank you, James and Dean.

Requires several readings, first to view the images, then read the accompanying text and realize what inventive ideas have been introduced: hooked rug chickens and corn cobs! But the mesemerizing effect of a story unfolding over the course of a year in the lives of two hand crafters of beauty and aesthetic tranquillity draws you into their lives as the farm moves through the seasons. Satisfying visit to a work in progress, a potpourri garden transformed into a white garden. Wooden scarecrows crafted from twigs and discarded garden implements. Stunning visuals

This book details the creative designs of two artistic guys who purchased the nineteenth century Seven Gates Farm in Keedysville, Maryland. If you like country, Americana, and crafts, you will love this book. Hundreds of full color photographs tour the farm during each season of the year. The reader can see how the farm changes when the landscape is covered with different plants and the house is taken over by a new crop of crafts and collectibles. These artists must have incredible cupboard space to house their thousands of knickknacks and antiques as new ones are brought out for the season or holiday. The vintage flags unveiled for the Fourth of July I found to be some of the more interesting displays. The farm is near Antietam, so the Civil War heritage is very important in these parts. One of the flags displayed was used in a Civil War battle.

The book also gives the reader step-by-step instructions and hints for making crafts or collecting antique/vintage items. Some of the things you can learn to create are myrtle topiaries, cold frames for getting a head start on the growing season (also through the use of bell jars), creative table decorations, miniature gardens, herb-covered eggs, rustic twig scarecrows (very cute), scented water, summer vinegar dressings, and angel shoes for Christmas ornaments. You can also learn a little bit about collecting rag dolls, calicoes, miniature log cabins, and blankets. I liked seeing the changes through the seasons, but I think it would have been more effective if the book pictured each of the main features (the greenhouse, wash-house, smokehouse, vegetable garden, etc.) in order for each season so the changes are more evident and the reader can easily flip pages and compare a different area for each season. As it is, some areas are not even covered for each season. The map on the inside front and back covers is helpful for following the landscape of the property. Anyone interested in crafts will enjoy this book.

A beautiful fact filled book - decorate your home, inside and out, cost effectively­wonderfully written, excuisite photos, creatively designed.

I had traveled to Reston, VA with my dogs to go to the Pet Fiesta while there I picked this book up and used it to travel all over the Washington D.C. area with my dogs. I am so glad that I did because I was not sure what I was going to do after the Pet Fiesta was over and this book opened up lots of options and lots of ideas for future trips.

I advise taking a pen with you so you can write in additional things that you find that may not be listed in the book. While at Old Town Alexandria today we ate at an Irish restaurant that had a doggie menu that was not listed in the book but was a must go to if you travel there.

I loved this book and only wish that there was one for my area.

I bought this based on the great reviews, so perhaps it was a let-down because I had high expectations. This is a guide book with a slight dog orientation, but honeselty, I didn't feel like this really gave me much valuable information about living and traveling in the DC area with a dog- other than telling me where parks are (info available on many web sites). The actual dog-friendliness of the parks, and rating system seemed totally off with how I would have rated parks. Seems like they are rated more for person-appeal than dog-appeal.

But maybe I'm just biased as I have a hound and value FENCED off-leash parks above all :)

I highly recommend this book to dog owners who love to take their little four-legged friend(s) everywhere. It is well organized and the writing style used is perfect for dog lovers.

It covers almost all the parks in the Washington D.C., Virginia and Baltimore. Have you ever looked up a park on a map and it looked huge and perfect for your dog, and when you got there, you and your dog were very disappointing with the park? Well, the review for each park is quite accurate. With this book on hand, you can look up a park and find out if it is suitable for your dog before driving there. It covers important information that a dog owner needs to know about the park/area - such as the poop scoop law and the leash law.

It also contains information (ie. hotel, restaurant, pet stores, etc...) that is very useful for dog owners who like to take their pooches on vacation with them.

Embedded into the book, you will find dog adoption information. The book encourages suggestions from readers. I've already written to the publisher suggesting to include information on various rescue organizations and local animal shelters - a way to help promote pet rescue/adoption.

I bought this book when it first came out for a friend of mine who was moving to Baltimore with her dog. Two years later, I borrowed it from her when I discovered I was moving to D.C. I found it enormously usefull for choosing a dog-friendly neighborhood with good access to parks. The authors understand the basic qualities of a good dog park: safety, space, a group of 'regular' neighborhood go-ers, and access to a good espresso bar for weekend dog walking. Overall, the writers do an excelent job.

I have only a few complaints. One - due to the impossibility of visiting every park in this populous region more than once, I've found that the park's ratings can heavily reflect the day and time of the visit -- not necessarily what the park is like on a typical weekday at 6pm. Also, some park ratings reflect a nice place to go with a small dog on a leash, you won't necessarily have the same experience with your massive Great Dane tugging at every new smell. The writers also disapprove of dogs being off-leash, and rate more lowly some parks that are true jems for those of us with larger dogs that require more exercise.

Overall, a great guide, and certainly unique. A must for all dog owners in this area, particularly if you moving to this region.

This is one of my favorite books ever. Really. I moved to the D.C. area with my lab three years ago, and while we were used to having dozens of places to go for various reasons or times, I didn't know where to begin to find good places to take her around our new home. This book was a godsend for finding fun places to go, especially because I found the reviews to give a me a very accurate idea of what sort of place we were going, including what sort of "feel" it might have for dog-friendliness. Some of the features of the book I have found extremely helpful are:

* Birds-eye maps showing where the reviewed locations are in the counties covered (perfect for finding a park near odd places that I might run errands)
* How strict the leash law is followed (this is a biggie for me -- while the authors point out excellent reasons to use the leash, they very helpfully suggest where we can get away without it)
* Rough idea how crowded the area in question might be, and how easy or difficult to get to (varies of course by time of day and season)
* Whether there's a place for doggie swimming

In my area (Sterling/Ashburn, VA) I've found the book to be amazingly comprehensive for my local and outlying areas, and find that the park descriptions have always given me a pretty accurate idea what to expect. The book covers a wide enough range (including some pseudo-local vacation destinations) that I've used it on countless occasions to find nice stopover while on short trips outside my "home turf". Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys finding varied places to visit with their pups.

I knew Bruce as a phibeta kappa at the University of Md. I "reviewed" this book . I picked it up and set it down. Bruce is/was a talented individual but I thought the length and time involved was too much ( as Shaw remarked on Joyce).Great talent. Great length. In interpretation, realize Bruce's mother also died in his youth. Art imitates life.

After "The World as I Found It," this novel just left me bored. The character development is good but labored. I found the endless descriptions and musings of a young man whose mother has died simply tiresome. I could not finish the book

I'm Bruce Duffy's daughter. Many people found this book to be a "dissapointment" and have racial slurs, and just be a "weird" novel. What no one realizes is that although exaggerated, some of these events actually happened. Its such a raw, real book. My Dad wrote something for himself, hes been through so much emotional childhood pain and this book was a release. He didn't care much what anyone thought of it. It was mainly for him, a sort of therapy. I think that it was quite brave of him to write a book and not focus on whether or not it would be comparable to "The World As I Found It." If he had gotten caught up in that, it wouldn't have been literature, simply a fake attempt at depth and masterpeice. I found this book, because of the motives behind it (and I won't lie...because I understood it better than his first novel, seeing as I am 15) to be much more profound than any "classic" contrived novel.

--Lily Duffy

Reading this book reminds me of growing up in the 60's... particulary how weird it was visiting other kid's houses. At that age, I pretty much thought the rest of the world lived the same way I did (compulsively clean Mom), so it was like visiting a foreign country when I'd see other kids bedrooms, and smell the differences between my house and their house.

I hadn't really thought about stuff like that for 20 years... and reading this book brought it all back home. Very, very enjoyable and very, very funny (but tragic-fun... the best kind).

The World As I Found It (Duffy's first book) was a strong, irresistable book, which got behind you and pushed you headlong through the story of an opaque philosopher. It was great, and I wondered how Duffy could follow it. Last Comes the Egg could easily have been titled The World As I Found It too, but what a different world it is. Gone are the lofty havens of great thinkers, the vaulting halls of Cambridge and the battlefields of Europe. Instead we have suburban Maryland in the sixties, a place coming from nowhere, and not going to anywhere either. And in place of the sheer power, we have a very subtle, quiet story, which opens itself up to be explored.

The story all happens in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, in a middle-class neighborhood of nobody in particular. Into this life of complete unimportance are thrust the children, who, like their parents, cannot accept their own insignificance, and struggle to find a place of importance in a world that is indifferent to them. In a very different journey of discovery, these children seek in themselves to find who they are, even as they look around them to discover what role, what performance other people like best. And in this microcosm of identity and conformity, the attentive reader will find pieces of himself (and herself) scattered around. And hopefully they will come away with a better understanding.

I found the book tremendously rewarding, and a powerful window on adolescence in America. Duffy aims for and hits the real heart of the end of childhood, and brings out what everyone feels as they teeter on the edge of adulthood - "Wait - I thought there was something more..." In the emptiness of real life, we are shown how everyone finds something to latch onto, to call important, to be their own special illusion. We make ourselves into heroes, protecting our precious, fragile eggs, until some few of us find the strength to let it fall.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept my interest from page one thru to the end. And the end was a surprise. I did not successfully guess the murderer and the story gets exciting near the end which makes it hard to put down. I give it a high rating for enjoyment and suspense.

Fans of cozies will enjoy watching school teacher/amateur sleuth, Maggie Olenski, expose a killer. Maggie's much needed vacation at Highview Inn, Maryland takes a nasty turn when an employee and former student is found murdered. Maggie is determined to find the killer, and with the help of her new-found friend and quirky side-kick, Dyna, unravels the mystery. Author Hughes weaves an interesting plot and keeps you guessing right up to the end.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept my interest from page one thru to the end. And the end was a surprise. I did not successfully guess the murderer and the story gets exciting near the end which makes it hard to put down. I give it a high rating for enjoyment and suspense.

Resort to Murder met my criteria of a spell-binding mystery because it kept me totally absorbed. I wanted to know how the plot unfolded and continued to read until I learned the identify of the murderer and why that person felt compelled to take such drastic steps. An added bonus was being able to relate to the setting because it is near where I live.

From the first page, I was "sucked" into this book. The characters were interesting and real. I found myself thinking about the characters and the story throughout my day. I couldn't wait to see what would happen to Maggie next. I really liked the fact that Maggie is a teacher - I could relate to her thinking (I'm also a teacher) as she solved the mystery. The author wrote a suspensful and thrilling mystery. You'll love it! I've told all my friends about it!

Peter is a working class successful writer who has become blocked and so begs his well heeled wife (Katherine) who is 8 ½ months pregnant to set him a task. She does which is to tell stories as they sail around the Chesapeake Bay (a 200 mile long estuary on the Virginia and Maryland coastlines) in their boat called Story. During of which we discover how they fell in love in the 60's but not met up until the 70's and why they are having babies now as they hit 40. But this is only one of three other love stories in the novel. One is the love of landscape and the other is of sailing. Both of which are powerfully evoked throughout the novel. Their love story, landscape and sailing are then effectively linked to their families. Hers being local old money who have shaped the land since before the USA was founded and his being boat builders who have shaped access to the water since coming over in the 19th century.

Katherine's family are open, generous friendly and sophisticated so accept and support the whims of Peter and Katherine to sail around the Bay. Likewise Peter shy and intense and Katherine open and bright are deep friends and in love so we like the characters and join in the physicality evoked by the writing. However these are but three of several strands in the novel, two others are a political thriller and an eco-mystery. The first explores the CIA-KGB spy games as the SALT talks dirty tricks play out in the local area. The second looks at the environmental damage being done by illegal dumping. Both story lines are linked firmly with Katharine's ex husband and her charming but wastrel brother but not as you expect.

But all this are themes for the real focus of the novel which is about the art and mystery of writing and story telling. So over the 14 days of sailing we move in and out of the stories of Don Quixote, Huckleberry Finn, 1001 nights of Arabian Tales, Odyssey as they shape and are shaped by the love story landscape and sailing. We meet the narrators as characters finishing their own stories and shaping the novel as we do as reader-characters. This means that the narrative moves through a whole range of formats (plays, short essays, monologues, puns, wordplay etc) and genres (love story, social comedy, thriller, family saga, etc) with us and the unborn babies as narrator commentators along with the characters who know they are in a story. And we know their fates outside the story itself.

Don't expect a quick read as its 655 pages and small print but do expect an intellectual tour de force and a page turner for what is mediation on writing that races along driven by the reader's identification with Peter's writers block, and their immediate parenthood while the multi-layer story entertains and stretches. Clearly a banquet that lingers in the memory when many beans on toast novels have been long forgotten so highly recommended.

Barth is a fine writer who does a marvelous job in creating believable and likable characters. it was fun to sail with him and his yuppy friends in the Chesapeake. (A non-sailer would miss much of the action and pleasure of this novel) The story of the couple and the boat would make a fine but smaller novel. Barth's politics are those of aca- deme and perhaps intrude too much into what is supposed to be only a story...not an effort to convert those who are not PC already. But he sure

can write and OH, I do love KISS just as he does.

Set me a task indeed! It has become the catch phrase my wife and I use to pull ourselves out of a funk... and reading this book will pull just about anyone out of theirs. Following Peter and Kate's sailing adventure over the course of the last 14 days of their pregnancy (with twins) is a celebration of life. Don't be daunted by it's length! It's like reading multiple books in one: a travel book, a play, throw a little espionage and environmentalism into the pot and meet some of literature's greatest characters along the way. Get through the first 50 pages, then sit back and enjoy the ride. By the end you'll find that you just don't want it to end.

I'm 5 pages from the end of this book, but I'm postponing reading them because I just don't want it to end. Like The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor, this book is escapism at its most extreme.

The framing is phenomenal, mirror images abound, pairs proliferate, and while things constantly remain at the edge of confusion, Barth always reins you in just before you teeter off into chaos. So deft with words, and even more so with their meanings, Barth has written what is quite possibly my favorite book of all time.

Of the maybe five novels of Barth I've read so far in my young life, this is probably my favorite of them all (Sot-Weed Factor does run a close second, however) if only due to the laziness factor since I didn't feel I needed a doctorate in English literature or mythology to understand everything that was going on. All told, on the surface this is probably one of the lighter books he's done . . . it's basically about a couple (teh wife's eight months pregnant) going out sailing in Cheaspeake Bay and to pass time they start telling stories. Except it's about everything else too and slowly the novel starts to incorporate local history, the knots of the characters' lives, mythology, plays, short stories . . . you name it. For someone not of Barth's skill this would come off as a tedious academic exercise merely to show the author's genre bending abilities. Once in a while it teeters toward that but manages to stay on the right side of the line. What helps is the sheer exuburance of the book, the people all seem to like each other (not that there isn't conflict), folks are happy with their lives, never before has Barth managed to create a more three dimensional set of people or given them a more realistic world to inhabit. It's just genuinely enjoyable to read, especially as the stories and stories-within-stories start to bounce off each othere. There are echoes of several of Barth's earlier works here, I spotted definitely Lost in the Funhouse and Chimera (and the Sot-Weed Factor is mentioned) so for long time readers it's a bit of a revisit with old friends. Is the book probably longer than it needs to be? Yeah, but if long books are your problem than you shouldn't be reading Barth. The main couple Peter and Katherine are sometimes a bit too precious for words (the constant renaming of the babies got annoying real fast) and in spurts there is just too much love going around but I can't really level that as a flaw now, can I? Politics does threaten to creep in every so often but it's dated eighties style politics now so I didn't pay much attention to it. Overall, it doesn't break any vibrant new ground for Barth but serves as a fine summing up of his strengths and his skills, the man can tell a decent story and he can write the pants off just about anybody (and no, those aren't the same thing) so if you want a fun "literary" novel that won't overwhelm you with all those nasty post-modern tricks those oh so erudite authors love to pull on unsuspecting readers, this might just be what you're looking for. Just stay away if you're allergic to mythology, if you want to read Barth it's not something you can easily escape from. But I like it anyway.

Was a good read, a little wordy in places but reflected an excellent amount of research which added to the credibility of the tale. Not for all, but still historical and throws a good light on greed.

This book was a page turner. It's a true and interesting story that is well written. I'm very satisfied and looking for more books by this author.

I was not sure what to expect when I started my read. Within a few pages I felt like I was part of the 1930's. Len brings the reader through the time period as if you are traveling in a time capsule. Soon you are living the story. The historical facts, intertwined with the personal story of events, presents an educational history lesson of real life in 1930's Baltimore in an extremely entertaining fashion. Unlike "National Treasure" the movie this story is plausible and true. Excellent work Len!

Treasure in the Cellar is a real page turner and fascinating read. I was captivated by the story and drawn into the drama surrounding the coins. The smooth writing style and narrative account make the characters and the time period come alive. The author provides just enough detail and historical background to set the stage and to put the story into context without getting bogged down with too many obscure facts. The author does an excellent job of revealing how the effects of historical events such as the Civil War, the 1918 flu epidemic, and the Gold Recall Act along with treasure trove law impact the fate of the boys and the gold coins. A real gem of a book!

Treasure in the Cellar is a beautifully written true-life adventure. Len Augsburger's writing style makes you want to keep reading to uncover the next twist and turn as you root for these disadvantaged kids to keep their treasure. Meticulously researched, the book brings depression-era Baltimore and its characters to life.

When I get homesick for Rock Hall, MD, I read Helen Chappell. She has the whole scene down pat: the speech, the truck beds, the humidity, the scent of salted eels, the VFD, the food, and the people. Only thing missing is the smell of a wet Lab. I suspect a good bit of Rock Hall is hidden in plain sight in Oysterback.

So yes, this is a relationship drama, but for me it is a trip home.

I really liked this book, but admittedly I like everything Helen Chappell writes. This book was a lot of fun with a couple of out loud chuckles. It was the kind of read that you're sorry to finish - because then it's over - but at the same time it's too good to put down.

I DID enjoy this book; however, I maybe was expecting too much. I loved the characters, the conversations, the observations, the plot. I was just left wanting more from the book -- a deeper plot, more information, longer conversations, more detail --

Carrie was a good lead character and I loved her garage sale life style. Being an avid garage saler myself, I could really relate to how she described that life and the treasures she would find along the way. Very true and realistic!!

The plot was good, as stated in previous other reviews. The characters were believeable and true to life. I love books set in the South and this one was a good example of Southern lit.

However, this is a GOOD BOOK and shouldn't be missed. I will keep my eyes open for more from Ms. Chappell. She is a good author, full of potential.

Junk picker Carrie returns to her hometown, Oysterback, Maryland on the Eastern Shore to attend her mother's funeral. Carrie and her sister Earlene have been at odds for years over lifestyles and even while trying to honor the dead they argue. Both await their brother Delmar to return with the ashes from Florida, but he is being detained by police for an incident at the airport where metal detectors were set off by their mom's urn.

Carrie is shocked to find Professor Jack Shepherd sleeping in her mother's bed. He explains that he normally lives on a boat, but her mother said he could use her house while she was away if he needed to for some reason. Her former boyfriend, the married Hudson Swann, also accosts Carrie. She clearly explains to Hudson that they are the past though she admits to herself that she wouldn't mind a future with Jack.

Though there is a dark comical backdrop, WHOLE LOT OF TROUBLE is a deep relationship drama that showcases family rivalries and lingering disagreements and disappointments. The sisters are a delight to observe fuss and fight while their respective descriptions of their brother paint quite a picture of him. Though some tension caused by "outsiders" seems unnecessary, fans will appreciate this no person is an island tale that emphasizes everybody needs somebody sometimes.

Harriet Klausner

Fans of Helen Chappell, rejoice! Oysterback, the delightful town on Maryland's Eastern Shore that was the setting for two earlier collections, has returned, as deliciously quirky as ever.

For protagonist Carrie Hudson, Oysterback is less than delightful -- it's her hometown and she left it behind her a long time ago. Now her mother's death has brought her home, home to deal with everything she thought she'd left behind her a long time ago.

By turns humorous and touching, A WHOLE WORLD OF TROUBLE is Chappell at her best.

As a native Marylander (Frederick) and Johns Hopkins alumnus, I have many pleasant memories of lovely old Baltimore. This book is a light read, but Bell knows the heart of the city well. The reader really gets the feeling of the old neighborhoods and their traditions, mostly due to the author's keen eye and flowing narrative style. He reminds me a bit of Andrei Codrescu.

Bell's interest in architecture becomes obvious almost immediately, and this is entirely appropriate considering the marvelous ensemble of historic buildings in Baltimore. The author's selection of neighborhoods to explore is necessarily selective, for brevity and for safety. Charm City isn't the most hospitable place in the United States, but it reveals a proud history and a truly beautiful cityscape for one willing to dig around a bit. Bell has done just that.

Trust your noodly master, Hon.

Mr. Bell has captured the atmosphere of Baltimore, especially it's unique combination of history and irreverence. When I was a kid (this goes back a few decades) one way people described Baltimore was as "the biggest small town in the world." This book captures the essence of that. Though Mr. Bell and his walking companions wander miles and miles they never seem far from the core of the place. This book is too much fun for any Baltimore reader to pass up.

I enjoyed this book, though that's likely because I grew up a few blocks from Madison Bell, and his stories were like strolling through my childhood and adolescent days. I think the book is well-written, but ultimately, it is a narrative book about several walks around town (going south on York Road, north along Charles Street, east to Fells Point, and then west to an obscure tucked away neighborhood).

Once finished reading it, I gave it away to my brother, a rare occurrence because I usually hang onto my books. I'm not sure that the book would carry over well to someone not already familiar with Baltimore.

The Crown Journey series asks established writers to wander through a city or area they live in or know well, and then write about it in a way that introduces the outsider to that place. I've read two others in the series, Christopher Buckley's one on Washington, D.C. (my hometown), and Chuck Palahniuk's one on Portland, OR (where I went to college). The former is pretty terrible, focusing on the standard federal and historical haunts while mostly ignoring the 500,000+ people who actually live here. The latter does a pretty good job of capturing Portland, with an emphasis on the quirky. After D.C., Portland, San Francisco, and New York, Baltimore is probably the next city I know reasonably well -- it's only a 45 minute drive north, and I've probably visited it somewhere between 50-75 times since the early '80s.

Bell is a 20+ year resident of the Baltimore area, and arranges the book as a series of walks through various parts of the city in the company of friends steeped in local lore. Many of these areas (Fells Point, Inner Harbor, Canton, etc.) are well known tourist destinations, others (Dickeyville, north Charles Street) much less so. His general mode is to embark on his promenade and alternate descriptions of present-day street life and architecture with odds and ends of local history. While some of this historical context is interesting, it does drag the book down at times, as does his preoccupation with architecture.The book is much stronger when he focuses on social history, rather than the "founding fathers" stuff that tends to dominate.

Similarly, Bell is at his best when he turns his novelist's eye to the various bars and characters he encounters along the way, bringing them vividly to life in a way he simply can't with the historical material. The dominant theme is one of constant change and transformation, running from the great fire of 1904 that leveled most of the old town and required massive rebuilding, to the scandalous land grabs of the '60s, to the rapid-fire redevelopment/gentrification currently underway throughout the city. On the whole, a quick and readable introduction to the city for the uninitiated.

Madison Smartt Bell's walking tour of Baltimore take us through a variety of neighborhoods, some well know and some rather obscure. Of course we get the low down on the touristy and trendy parts of town like Federal Hill, Fells Point, the Inner Harbor, and Canton.

With this city nearly 300 years old, Bell is able to sprinkle in an interesting look at its history with the descriptions of these places and how they've changed with gentrification.

Because of his local literary celebrity, Bell has access to some well-know locals and some colorful characters. For example, he visits a quaint, charming, but little-know part of town, Dickyville, with Laura Lippman, former Baltimore Sun reporter and now well-known mystery writer. She grew up in Dickeyville and provides insiders flavor to its description and historical context.

Bell, a guitarist, gives us a vivid sense of the Fells Point bar scene and sits in with a local band where we meet some great local characters. With his skill as a writer, Bell neatly weaves the long history of this area in with the local scene and its changing population.

Bell and I are close in age and both moved to Baltimore about the same time, more than twenty years ago. Reading this book took me back though these years and the many places that make Baltimore quirky and fun,with a unique mix of small city sense of place and big city attractions.

"Voice of the Terps" broadcaster Johnny Holliday has written this book from the heart. It's an often humorous but always sincere account of Maryland Terp basketball memories that stand out as Holliday's favorites. It is very selective but very cool, and the photos are varied and add much to the enjoyment of this book. A few things make Johnny's book worth having for every college basketball fan: a chapter on many of the veteran referees who were in the middle of the action. Their memories, quotes, opinions, etc are interesting. Coach Gary Williams obviously spent time with Holliday and his co-author Stephen Moore on chapters discussing program "turning points" and the 2002 championship, and Coaches Lefty and Bud give their views as well. Dozens of players talk with Holliday about their favorite moments. Holliday was also friends with Len Bias, and the chapter on Bias is very moving. Many fans are also featured. All in all, I think this is a book for every Maryland Terp fan.

In 2002 I had the honor of working with the legendary Johnny Holliday on his autobiography, "From Rock To Jock." This detailed account of the "Voice of The Terps" life was critically acclaimed as an entertaining and significant history of broadcasting, Top 40 radio, and sports through the eyes of Johnny. We became close friends during the two years we worked on "From Rock To Jock", and this friendship continued when we were asked to write "Hoop Tales," a very different book, with different goals.

For starters, "Hoop Tales" follows the publisher's format for this popular series. The recipe is assemble a collection of great pictures (and our book has some very good ones, several from Sports Illustrated, and the rest from UMD Hornbake Archives, the Athletic Dept, and personal collections), and select about ten stories that basketball fans will love.

I think we did that and much more. We uncovered new information, such as the earliest formation (and games) of the team; experiences of the veteran referees- in their words - of great players, games, and their interactions with Coaches' Bud, Lefty, and Gary. Coach Williams provides his overview of the turning points in the program's evolution. The chapter on Len Bias is Johnny's personal account of knowing Lenny, and describing his growth as a player and person over four years. Several Terp players have thanked us for this positive portrayal. Coaches Bud, Lefty, and Gary, and many famed players - from Keith Booth to Walt Williams- contributed time and candid accounts to "Hoop Tales," and the greatest living sports writer, John Feinstein, wrote the Foreword.

"Hoop Tales" is a written celebration of the Maryland Terrapins with great photos. I'm giving my own co-authored book a five star rating here - and I know some readers will be critical of this self-promotion - but I can't post this author's info without a rating. And we are very proud of this book and we hope Maryland fans will support it. Thanks, and GO TERPS!!

This very short, very readable history of Maryland University's men's basketball program is an enjoyable read, especially for Maryland basketball fans. That said it also has some drawbacks.

First, there really are not a lot of details here. I didn't really learn anything I didn't already know about the program except maybe some of the items in the first chapter about the program's origins and early years. For example, the chapter on Len Bias is short and non-analytical. I know much, much more about that sad chapter in Maryland's history than is presented in this book - which basically is "it's a sad story, Len Bias was a great player, it hurt the program." Ditto the run to their first Final Four and subsequent NCAA Championship Season.

This book is probably basically what it's supposed to be, a short synopsis of the team's history and is probably better suited for pre-teens and teens than adults who have followed the program for years. Overall, I can't say I was disappointed, but I didn't really get anything out of reading this book.

As life long Terps fan, this read is a must. I loved it. Mr. Moore really has captured what being a Terrapin really means to those of us that are die hard fans. Thanks.

Award winning broadcaster Johnny Holliday can add another title and experience to his long and illustrious career - Author!

In "Hoop Tales: Maryland Terrapins Men's Basketball" Holliday, and Stephen Moore, takes the reader inside the Maryland "huddle" to gain insight into one of the most storied programs in college basketball.

As a reader, one can sense the passion Johnny Holliday has for the program, and written words are as enthusiastic as his play-by-play call, or as sweet as the swish of a long jumper.

Len Clark

I read this book years ago and it captivated me. I have always thought that this would be a great movie with a young Michael caine In the lead role. I cannot vouch that this is a truue story (I have heard conflicting reports that Norman Leigh never Existed - his system doesn't work etc etc) However its a great read even if its a work of fiction. The Book ends with the "hero" about to depart for Vegas, I have wondered what happened Ever Since. Sounds like time for "Thirteen Against the Mobs bank!"

While the tale of a team of gamblers taking down a famous casino in Monte Carlo is an engaging story, here's the problem: The gambling system described is simply not possible.

When I read the book, I had my father write a program to simulate 100,000 spins of a roulette wheel, using each of the gambler's moves (the outcome of the spin affects each team member differently).

It took about 5 seconds on this massive computer (at Abbott Laboratories) to re-create 100,000 spins. Results weren't even close to making money. We ran it again, several times, same outcome.

I then had him invert the program, that is reverse the logic revealed by Leigh's system. Maybe, I figured, the author was altering his strategy to hide the real method.

Back to the computer, back to the same results - nothing that amounts to winning money.

Cash in on good readaing from a fun older book, but don't get your hopes up to make a living off a the author's gaming system.

I read this book as a teenager and enjoyed it immensely. Since then, I've often wondered if it was true. I recently decided to write a simulation program that plays the system exactly as laid out in the book. What did I find? Email me at jwoodger@sympatico.ca, if you're interested.

I read the book in less than two days....truly was hard to put down....if you are just picking up a book to browse through and try and pick up a system, then you don't want the book...the system is explained throughout...no charts or graphs or any other BS....I found it to be a great read and have used a part of the system(mostly red/black and high/low) 5 times in the casinos(hardly enough to prove anything)but have walked away with $100+ each time...Now I don't have the capital to get a "Mushroom" as they call it, but if you can consistently walk away from the casino with $100-$200 for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours of play...isn't that worth it.....Not quite as profitable as the European wheel, but it can still turn a profit with patience....BUY IT, READ IT AND ENJOY IT!

The fascinating account of how Norman Leigh took a team to break the bank at Nice using his roulette system. Dryly funny, it offers an insight into how gambling affects and alters personalties. It also illustrates a winning roulette system for those with the exceptional discipline, stamina and bankroll required to play it.