UK Books

I have read quite extensively in investigating Quaker faith & practice and this is just about the best introduction I've found. This is the one that finally got me to get ... off the couch and seek out a meeting. Elegant, understandable, and personable writing by a guy with an obviously sweet spirit. Wholeheartedly recommended for those seriously considering a move toward Quaker-ism or those who are just interested in making the Quaker spirit part of their life's journey.

This simple yet complete book provides an explanation of many aspects of Quakerism. Pym's (38 page) introduction alone was a wonderful overview of this most-intereting religion/way of life. I found that the explanation and description of the Meeting for Worship answered so many questions that I had about this aspect of Quakerism.

I liked reading the "Advice and Queries" and learning about Pym's journey towards becoming a Quaker. I would recommend this book to anyone who might want to incorporate some Quaker beliefs into his/her life.

Jim Pym gives a beautiful and straightforward account of his Quaker faith, and how this affects his everyday life.

An important part of Jim's personal faith comes from the Buddhist tradition. Despite this, he gives a lucid and positive account of the Christian roots of Quakerism.

The book makes significant use of "Advices and Queries," one of the central documents of the Quakers in Britain Yearly Meeting. These are reproduced in full in an Appendix, and this adds to the value of the book.

A superb, highly practical book, expressed in clear and simple language.

As an attendee of a local meeting for the last year, I have learned a great deal about Quakerism but Jim Pym's book has put all the pieces together for me in a clear, interesting and easily understood style that has significantly enhanced the value I recieve from 'sitting in the light.' From readers merely curious about Quakerism to Confirmed Friends, I highly recommend this wonderful book to anyone with an interest in the Religious Society of Friends.

I join the other reviewers in celebrating the reprinting of this book. Following is (pretty much) a review I wrote on Amazon a few years ago for a used copy of this wonderful booK:

I found a copy of this book at an estate sale twenty years ago. At first I thought it would just be fun to have on my book shelf, but when I opened it up, the wisdom poured out of it.

Written for single women moving to New York in the 30s, the author does not hesitate to instruct, cajole and browbeat her reader. You MUST own four bed jackets. You MUST NOT have too much antique furniture.

And the overriding theme of the book: when you are single, you MUST look out for yourself, because no one else will, and you might as well look out for yourself really well.

Several of my friends read this book after I did. Based on its advice, one friend threw away all her worn out lingerie and started fresh. Another completely redecorated her house. Another started a financial savings plan. I began preparing much nicer meals for myself.

I don't think any of us has bought a bed jacket. But maybe you will, after reading this delightfully illustrated and charming book.

Live Alone and Like It was originally published in 1936 and has all the charm of that time but still contains wise advice and guidance for women of any age and circumstance. Author Marjorie Hillis writes with such a snappy wit and humor that you will smile or laugh throughout the book. This small book can be read quickly but you will want to keep it for future references on: how to make a martini, when you should have an affair or making your new home charming, comfortable and chic.

Hillis stresses that it is all about attitude. If you find yourself living alone, there are gracious, positive and even prosperous ways to take on your new independence and there are those things that you do not want to indulge in: self-pity, complaining about your circumstances and becoming, literally, a hermit. Any woman who finds herself being the "Extra Woman" must do things better, faster and more than other women. A plan is essential, and that requires knowing what kind of life you want and how you are going to get there. Hillis gives lots of savvy ways of doing simple things-some very dated but delightful and amusing. Some of it will make you wonder just how secretly progressive those mid-1930's women really were.

Move over Suze Orman, Hillis said it all in 1936 in her chapter "You'd Better Skip This One." Saving and budgeting money is a necessary fact of life. With great insight into behavior (at least women's), she points out that buying something with your own money gives a deeper pleasure than having someone else pay for it. Even if you have to buy less, buy the best. To keep your savings safe and sound, it is necessary to read and learn about money management for yourself.

To really enjoy Ms Hillis's wisdom and playfulness, take this book and a martini mixed as instructed into your chic bedroom while in your satin negligee and settle back into plumped pillows with the phones off.

Armchair Interviews says: Quaint and current advice well given.

... to see that this book, first published in 1936, is being re-published. I discovered Marjorie Hillis Roulston through her second book "Orchids on Your Budget," a 1937 book for Depression survivors (the 1930's depression, not the modern kind) to help them keep up their spirits and appearances when in dire financial circumstances. I searched the net and found her other books, "Corned Beef and Caviar," and "You Can Start Again." All four books are delightful with a perky, saucy, just-between-us-girls tone that is absolutely charming. Imagine Carrie Bradshaw in a tailored suit, becoming hat, and white, wrist-length cotton gloves.

One of the most captivating features of the book are the "cases." At the end of each chapter in each of the books, she describes individuals who have adopted her principles to their own benefit, or failed to do so, and are suffering the consequences. In one pair of cases, she describes two different girls-- yes, we're all just "girls," but it's okay-- who spend their weekends in contrasting ways. Girl A plans her time wisely, going for beauty treatments after work on Saturday afternoon, being served sherry and then dinner by the maid she had the foresight to hire for the day, spending Sunday morning in bed reading the papers and gossiping on the phone while attired in her best bed jacket, then concluding the weekend by attending evening Vespers, followed by a hot date. Girl B just piddles the weekend away and can't get her act together.

I've read all four books so often that I get them mixed up, but she talks about entertaining in your apartment if you don't have a kitchen or access to any ice(!). The solution: a shelf stocked with foreign crackers, spreads in jars, cute knives, red glass plates from the dime store, and sherry. She makes the assumption that a single woman will not know how to cook, describes dinner parties ranging from one where you serve canned spaghetti in a chafing dish, to one where you venture gamely into ethnic neighborhoods to buy exotic tidbits, to one where you will need to hire a maid to help you cook-- "don't worry about how to make this dish-- any competent maid will be able to handle it."

The books are endlessly fascinating for the window into an era and lifestyle far from today-- New York in the late 30's through the early 50's. There are probably some things in here that are sexist to today's sensibility, but you know what? who cares. The books are a treat from beginning to end.

I would love to know more about Marjorie Hillis Roulston and regularly search the internet for anything about her. I recently found a reprint of an article by her in the publication of the Art Deco Society (art-deco.org). It seems that there may have been another book by her entitled "New York: Fair or Not Fair." I've had no luck finding it.

If any relatives or descendents of Mrs. Roulston read this, I want to say to them that reading her books has given me hours of pleasure, and I bless her memory often.

...I've hunted down used copies for a half-dozen people, and now gift-giving will be a lot easier.

This book is more than just a primer for living alone happily; it's a primer for living happily and independantly, no matter your age or marital status. While there's considerable "period" charm to be found in her stories and advice, this book is by no means a quaint period piece. It's packed full of (often very funny) practical wisdom that's just as vibrant for a woman living today as in the 1930s.

Be warned, though: one thing Miss Hillis cannot abide is self-pity, so this book offers several invigorating slaps to those who see loneliness as "an affliction sent by Providence like a hare-lip, instead of self-inflicted torture, like a hair shirt". Her advice on living a rich and full single life is so inspiring that it's a bit of a pity to find out that she eventually forsook "the pleasures of a single bed."

Highly, highly recommended.

It's good to see this exceptional book back in print. I don't think Gardam's adult novels--fine as they are--have the dancing intensity of her early work for children. Jessica Vye is immediately engaging, and her growth takes her out into the world instead of into herself, and towards the amazed discovery that "good things take place" in spite of everything. I was a teenager way too long ago, am male, and never lived in the north of England; but this remains one of my favorite pieces of fiction. Read it, reread it, and go dig up a copy of "Bilgewater", too....

It's one of those rare books that began as a children's tale and ended up considerably adult 30-some years down the line. This happens to a great many children's books over time. "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland", and others all began with kids as the intended audience but later ended up in the hands of scholarly adults everywhere. Such is the fate of the remarkably well-written "A Long Way From Verona". A thoughtful book that considers what it is to be a writer, one girl's battle with the crippling depression of adolescence, and some mild magical realism for kicks, this is a mighty intelligent 190 pages. It's funny, insightful, and one of the few books that I will concede that adults will enjoy far more than children.

Jessica Vye cannot tell a lie. Or rather, she probably could but she would prefer not to. Growing up in the middle of World War II and attending an all girls local school, Jessica has been having some difficulty with certain members of the educational staff. She's occasionally abrasive but always amusing to listen to and has a far clearer eye than most of the adults around her. She is convinced that she can be a writer by an elderly author at the start of the book, and as such she dedicates herself to her own style. The rest of "A Long Way From Verona" follows suit, with Jessica doing exactly what she wants in the face of those with more power around her. By the book's end she has grappled with what it means to be happy in this world in spite of all its misery and has been ultimately redeemed in terms of her own writing.

By the time I finished reading this book, I found that I had been continually comparing it to 1972's mighty similar, "A Sound of Chariots", by Mollie Hunter. In both cases, English girls growing up during and after major world wars deal with their communist/socialist fathers and defy authority at every turn. I wish heartily that I had read, "Chariots", only after reading "Verona", since Gardam's book was not only the first written but is also more amusing as a whole. Gardam is not afraid to dive deep into the world of biting satire. Some of the best passages in this book come when Jessica reluctantly stays a week-end with some rich neighbors on their own insistence. These people are the kind of pink-cheeked, healthy, all-British family that you'd see on greeting cards or advertisements. Their relentlessly cheerful and utterly and completely awful. For a brief amount of time, Jessica falls for the family's son, Christian, a boy who adores her father for his articles about human dignity in the New Statesman. In my favorite passage, Christian decides that Jessica has never seen any slums and takes her to see one. The thing is, Christian is coming from a very privileged background. The area that he repeatedly calls "hell" is, to Jessica's eyes, not so bad. As he tries to convince her that she's in the worst place in the world, Jessica just says, "Well, I think I expected green slime or something. Just shacks and green slime. I mean I haven't seen anywhere worse exactly ... But if they planted a few trees ... If it was all painted white, and it was in Africa or somewhere and they had bright-colored clothes".

I love this. And this is the tone of the book in general. What makes Gardam so remarkable is that "A Long Way From Verona" has a very modern voice. Jessica is cynical in a very contemporary way. Her father has become a curate, though this is the Church of England we're talking here. Nothing too relentlessly spiritual. At one point Jessica is sick in bed and she asks her father to remove a particularly sickly picture of, "Jesus as a boy with curly yellow hair, holding out his hands above a lot of rabbits". Her father agrees instantly that it has to go and with a flourish shoves it under the bed with a "Goodbye". Gardam also zeroes in on that peculiar phenomenon where girls in their early teens fixate on depressing literature. Jessica reads "Jude the Obscure" and can't stop thinking of it. Girls today read, "The Lovely Bones" and "A Child Called It" and feel the same way. It's marvelous. If I've any objections to this book at all, it might be the name. Who on earth is going to pick up a book called, "A Long Way From Verona"? It has almost nothing to do with the book, aside from Jessica's decision not to read Shakespeare's, "Romeo and Juliet". Far better to name it, "The Maniac" after her prize-winning poem or, heck, "Green Bezzums". I vote for the latter.

It should come as no surprise that Gardam's book reads better from an adult perspective than a childish one. Just look at her more recent novels and you can see that she has given up writing for children entirely. Whether this is because she realizes that her voice is better appreciated by people over the age of 22, or because her publishers and editors are forever steering her away from a younger audience, I do not know. I do wish that this book might get a re-release under an adult publisher and be rediscovered by humanity as a whole. Until that happens, however, it's just going to remain one of those amazing little secrets. A book that pleases everyone who reads it and deserves more attention. Lovely.

I first read this book at the age of ten. After I returned it to the library, I forgot the title and had to spend hours scouring the bookshelves to find it again. It was worth it. Even now, at eighteen, I love it more than ever. This book should be read by everyone, but especially by children. The basic story is; a young girl who dreams of being a writer goes to a stuffy English private school where the teachers take every action possible to crush her ambitions. However, she prevails with irrepressible wit and humor. If you're passionate about life, literature, or anything at all, READ THIS BOOK!

This is my favourite book of all time. I never get tired of reading it. It's about this thirteen year old girl in England during the second world war, and stuff that happens to her over a year or two. It's one of those books where the girl is narrating and perceiving one thing but you (with your superior wisdom and experience) can see more than she does. I think it's very real and subtle and a true statement of what it's like to be a teenage girl. This part is so true, that I feel like I'm really learning about how it must have been like during the war in England. So often I feel a disconnect when people write about this age group.

I have this book right on the table where I drink coffee in the morning. While I'm sitting down drinking coffee, I open up this book to look at the beautiful illustrations and consise, but to the point descriptions of various mammals and their habits. This booklet is both informative and easy to understand. It is appropriate both for kids and for adults. If you are into animals, like I am, this is a great companion at the coffee table.

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If your kids enjoy the nature programs on cable TV, they'll love this book.

Beautifully and accurately illustrated, the accompanying text is authoritative and educational. Just as importantly (if books are to compete with TV) it is also very entertaining.

The layout of "Mammals" follows the zoological classifications of the various "Orders" such as carnivores and marsupials. It even includes a section on the monotremes, those egg laying exotic mammals from Australia, namely, the platypus and echidna.

This book is a refreshing change from the typical TV nature show where animals and their behaviour are often anthropomorphised. You know the thing ...... " Bwana the baboon beats his chest boastfully after his latest conquest".

The highlight of the book is a four page panoramic fold out depicting the scene of the annual mass migration of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles across the African plains.

This book provides an ideal launching pad for those children who are keen to learn about the animal kingdom.

This is indeed an appealing and easy to read book. The illustrations are beautiful and the text interesting and very educational. The layout is good. I would have loved having this book to use when I was a teacher. Particularly informative for adults and students alike are the "Fast Facts" which give a description in a nutshell, including conservation status; "Would You Believe?" with interesting trivia; and "Where in the World?", giving maps to show habitat. Along with correct information, the book dispels misinformation. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about the warm blooded creatures who share our planet.

I am completely delighted with "The Little Guides" series. The format is extremely user friendly, and each guide is packed with useful and interesting information. I enjoy reading them, but my 6 year old daughter gives them the most use. While the guides are written at an adult level, there is plenty that she can read and understand. I currently own "Sharks," "Birds," "Mammals," "Space," "Whales," and "Flowers."

"Mammals" contains two parts; the first part gives an overview of the world of mammals, comparing the different characteristics (eyes, ears, feet, etc.) of mammals. Part two is packed with illustrations (over 500) and information about the rich variety of mammals that live on the earth. Each entry contains information about the animal characteristics, food, young, habitat, as well as close relatives.

This guide is packed with useful information, and is a great resource of adults as well as children!

Beneath a tale that skips through brief friendships and liaisons, Marietta Skala founds her book on the enduring, eventually platonic love of a couple who allow each other to be themselves. But not all of the friendships are brief, and the book culminates in a gathering together of those who have proved constant, as they celebrate Miranda's tenaciously wrought transition from material and personal inconsequentiality to a position of quiet stature and emotional wealth.

This is an honest and perceptive account that provides insights into human nature that make the book well worth reading.

Seldom there is a book which treats the human sexual aspect of life and the everyday struggles which are part of it. What this book offers is what others do not even attempt to treat: what happens when the music stops and the alchol wears off. Ms. Skala, in Miranda's Journey Miranda's Journey treats the highs of a sexual adventure as well as the commonplace of putting food on the table both in their righful place. She lives her life by seeing to it that all the necessities of life are valued equally, as they should be. She treats sex as being just one of the many variations of the human appetite for love and adventure. When you finish Miranda's Journey, the unshakeable feelinig is you are more than a little pleased to have experienced life as Miranda lived it.

Miranda is a person everyone can relate to. Sad, serious and often wittingly funny, Miranda confronts issues and challenges that all people face at one time or another. Recommended to everyone who wants to read something a little different!

Compelling reading, couldn't put the book down. The story is mildly erotic but not enough to be offensive. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

This gets four stars because I think it is lean on recipes.

It does, however, have a wealth of text and images. I normally avoid cookbooks with pictures of food in them, but this one is definitely worth and exception to the rule. The ingrediants are attainable too, and I live in a small town far from a large city. I especially like that the recipes are in metric. Sadly, since this is a British cookbook, it isn't a sign that America is modernizing.

I picked up this book as soon as I saw the cover and when I scaned the insides I knew immediately that I had to own this book. I adore books that take my hand and draw me in and effortlessly and skillfully transport me to another place. With spell-binding precision,this book gives us a glimpse into the people, the markets, the food and the land of North Africa, and creates a mood that prepares us for the aromas, flavors and colors of these traditional savory and sweet dishes. I was impressed with the number of tagine recipes given, and immediately made the Chicken Tagine with Honeyed Pears and Cinnamon. This was easy to prepare and as delicious as it suggested. I have also made and loved the Soup of Chick-peas, Pumpkin and Aniseed which I served with the Couscous with Fish (in an improvised couscoussier ) to a small group for dinner. The recipe for Tomato Confit with Golden Sesame Seeds is a wonderful example of how ethnically diverse a simple tomato can be.

What a gorgeous book! The photography is unbelievable--I'm tempted to buy a second copy just to cut out and frame selected prints. But this treasure goes beyond appearances--the recipes are delightful and do-able. Some may complain that many of the ingredients are too exotic, but I find that to be much of the appeal of world cuisines. And while the book is indeed a British publication and measurements are most often given in metrics, American ounces are also given (in any case, a good-quality food scale is a great investment for the home chef). This title will be on my holiday gift-giving list for culinary friends and armchair travellers. As good as or better than my vast Paula Wolfert/Kitty Morse/Claudia Roden collection, and that ain't small potatoes! Or small pastilla...

This N.African now restauranteer in Europe desires to share his passion for his native cuisine, with its simplicity, mystery, and satisfying qualities.

It is cuisine that is not difficult to prepare, nor difficult to secure its ingredients. It is also cuisine that can use ingredient substitutes with success. It is above all cuisine to relax with and enjoy, not fast food but sensual cusine which takes in all the senses for a feast. I find this cuisine highly attractive and relaxing, a real cuisine to share with special friends.

This cookbook endeavors to be as its cuisine, attractive to the senses -- it has great photos as well as great accompanying copy -- the recipes and history behind them are chosen carefully, so that there is not just an abundance, but some very good ones.

There are fine sections on the people, the ingredients, then three countries' cuisine: Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. I'm especially fond of this cuisine. These recipes caught my attention and palette: "Harira-- Moroccan soup which is yummy, loaded with lentils and chickpeas, veggies, grains, and lamb or beef. Then one of my favorites due to its being part of my first Moroccan meal -- Pigeon Pastilla, which I substitute with chicken with outstanding results. The King Prawn Tagine is scrumptuous, with its layering in tagine of fennels and tomatoes with prawns cooking on top of this aromatic bed. Or a knockout of main course: Confit of Duck Tagine with pears, figs and glazed carrots. Amazingly refreshing Couscous Seffa--a sugary delight with raisines and tea and orange blossom water with buttermilk, a Moroccan rice pudding type dish.

An Algerian hit is "Lamb Ribs in a Coriander Crust".

There is additional aids on Wines and Drinks, menu ideas, glossary, book references.

Execellent and comprehensive study of the Grand Prix motorcycle scene, with lots on insider stuff besides just the statistics. I especially enjoyed the vignette on the role and influence that "King Kenny" Roberts had on the Euro-centric organizational power structure.

The one short-coming which perhaps Dennis Noyes will address for his NEXT book would be maps for all the circuits where GP motorcycle races have been run.

This one belongs in every two-wheel enthusiast's library

For anyone who needs to know anything about grand prix racing, this book tells it all. The great English and Italian bikes, the coming of the Japanese and so on, it's all here. Fantastic photos and priceless words. Worth every penny.

Anyone with serious interest in motocycle racing needs a reference work of impeccable quality and accuracy, and this is it. There is no point in going on at length about the excellence of this magnificent book, because it delivers satisfaction at every level, from the quality of its contributors (Dennis Noyes, Michael Scott, et al), the brilliance of its photography (Malcolm Bryan, Gold & Goose, etc.) and the completeness of its historical record, not only in describing the technical trajectory of race-bike development and rider accomplishment in all relevant classes, including sidercar, but in the vital statistics that record the results. It's all here, rendered at the highest levels of journalism and publishing.
Hazelton's annual Motocourse journals on motoGP racing are terrific, but somewhat costly, but this wrapup of the entire post-WWII record of GP motorcycle racing does it all. No enthusiast should be without it.

Even if you're not one of the die-hards who regularly buys the Motocourse annual this is the book you cannot live without. Five chapters deal with the different epoques in Motorcycle GP Racing - especially the chapter covering the years 78-87, written by Dennis Noyes is captivating, but even the chapter covering 88-98 by Michael Scott brings tears to your eyes.

The book is deliberately sprinkled with excellent photos, and for the anoraks among us, there is a complete statistic appendix covering results and records.

If this book is not enough for you, another book is available on the same topic. It's french, written by Didier Ganneau and is called - surprise - 50 ans de Grands Prix Moto. (1999 Editions SOLAR, ISBN 2-363-02877-3)

This is not a review

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If you need to know what happened in GP Bike racing each year and from only one source this is it. The photos alone are worth the price of the book. My only wish is that I had found out about this series sooner so I could read the earier one too!!

Yet another excellent annual by Motocourse. Primarily covers the MotoGP tour but also includes SBK and some national racing.

This edition is particular important as Americans topped the 500cc Championship and the Superbike Championship which probably hasn't happend since the late 80s.

Excellent recap and photographs

I've read these books for years. Each and every year I get the whole picture of what has happened on the World Gran Prix Motorcycle scene. The pictures are beyond words, and give a clear shot of what it's like to ride one of these bikes at speed. The technical information is very good, considering that all the major manufacturers take secrecy to the extreme making it hard for outsiders whom are interested in the technical aspects kind of shut outs. Overall, though....I can't wait to get my hands on the next edition.

This baby book has beautiful pictures for either a boy or girl. Every section has a pocket for extra pictures or stuff you want to keep. I have this baby book for both of my kids I liked it so much. It goes up to 2 years old. I would reccomend it to anyone

I love this baby book. I did tons of research before purchasing a baby book for each of my twins and this is by far the cutest/most thorough. It's classy, not cheesy and has plenty of room for extra photos and special keepsakes.

I agree with the other reviewer and want to add another reason to buy this book. For the past 4 months I've been looking for a baby book that is not racially specific and this one is the best by far. Many baby books have only photographs or drawings of white children which can really be alienating for parents of other racial and cultural backgrounds. This book is beautiful and race neutral.

We just bought this book -- there are no goofy cutesy drawings throughout -- all of the images are photographs of baby paraphenalia. Its cover is beige with a photo of teddy bears on the front (too bad there's no picture available, b/c it would definitely help sell this book -- here's one book you won't mind displaying on your grown-up books shelves!). Ours is spiral bound, and each tab (moments of joy/here at last/welcome home/baby firsts/one year old/your second birthday) also doubles as a place to hold momentos, cards, etc. LOTS of places to put in your own photos and lots of space to write...where it matters. Like 'baby's first vacation'--3 whole pages, so it's perfect for us!

This book of stories has become a sort of symbol of myself. Emily Perkins is so honest and refreshing in her wording and observation that I have become nearly addicted. Buy it!!!!

Perkins writes with aching honesty. She posses the talent to evoke numerous ranges of emotions from distinct protagonists. Each short story embodies another layer of emotions and quirky observations from jaded characters.

This is definitely a must read for both those who refute the label of "Gen-X" and those who embrace it..

If you ever read any New Zealand literature, spare yourself the monotony of Pohuitakawa tree descriptions and read Perkins. She reminds me of early Bret Easton Ellis and is surely the best NZ writer EVER.

This book is funny, raw and honest. It made me laugh out loud. The characters are real and Perkins says what we all think about people, but never say: "She's fat. Her legs, her arms, her bum, her stomach ... Half undressed makes her look bulgy in the wrong places." I love Perkins style of writing and would recommend "Not Her Real Name" for "Generation X-ers". Perkins is smart and witty, and this book is an excellent read.