New York Books

Beyond Dirty Dancing

Francine Silverman's The Catskills Alive!, now in its second printing, brings the vivid mountain area of Southern New York to life for the casual or more discerning reader. The guidebook's narrative is interlaced with nostalgia, pointing out the great vitality of the Catskills in the 1950s and the current local proprietors' efforts to revive a somewhat ailing economy.

The Catskills Alive! is divided into chapters of the four counties spanning across the Catskills region. Silverman dedicates two entire sections to the numerous campgrounds and farm markets available there.

The Catskills Alive! is a great guide to have for an area whose advertising signs misrepresent what is still in business and what is not. Silverman has a rock-solid grasp on her subject matter as she sheds light on the history of grandiose hotels which have since been razed. In the case of the Leibowitz's Pine View Hotel, for example, the building has been turned into a correctional facility. These little facts make her book an easy and interesting read.

Even sports fans can find something of interest in Silverman's book. Each chapter offers useful information on sports facilities, golf courses, fitness studios, bird watching, and the like. She offers noteworthy trivia such as famous faces who have graced the landscape, drawing the area closer to the reader's heart even as he or she is geographically miles and miles away. I highly recommend The Catskills Alive! for anyone who wants to learn beyond what you see in movies such as "Walk on the Moon" and "Dirty Dancing".

Christine Louise Hohlbaum, American author of Diary of a Mother: Parenting Stories and Other Stuff, is a freelance writer living near Munich with her husband and two children. Visit her Web site at http://www.diaryofamother.com

The Catskills have long been a vacation spot for New York residents: The Catskills Alive! provides a survey of the Catskills; from hiking and outdoors opportunities to history and regional attractions. Places to stay and eat are included in this take-along travel tote.

As in previous guides by this author, information is arranged according to specific areas of the Catskills. Highlights of Sullivan, Ulster, Greene, and Delaware counties are listed systematically in helpful fashion. Anything travelers or tourists could possibly want or need to know about the Catskills has been researched by the author. In a style that feels like reminiscing with an old friend, Ms. Silverman shares insights on food, lodging, and points of interest both past and present. And if her directions don't help travelers find their way through rustic country on mountain roads, the author states law officers and locals are friendly and helpful to lost tourists.

Catskills history is fascinating. In addition to step by step guides for each county, readers will discover charming stories about famous visitors - a who's who of the past.

The Catskills and Hudson River Valley come alive, thanks to Francine Silverman's skill. With fresh air, clean water, and pristine forests, it would make a most appealing destination.
As was her previous guide book, Long Island Alive, this latest book is a must have for anyone planning a visit to the Catskills.

Laurel Johnson
Midwest Book Review

Silverman, a veteran feature writer for newspapers and magazines, is an expert when it comes to providing the reader with the most up-to-date details pertaining to the Catskills.

The guidebook more than adequately dispels the often- heard misconception "there's nothing to do in the Catskills anymore."

Admirably fulfilling its objective of providing a comprehensive guide to the Catskills, Silverman pinpoints locations by dividing them into four areas- Sullivan, Ulster, Greene and Delaware.
Within these areas, the guidebook provides the reader with comprehensive listing and descriptions of places to stay, eat, and shop, attractions, museums, festivals, events, and other "goodies."

In a way, the book serves as an invitation for people to come and enjoy this beautiful area of New York State.

The introduction to the book sets the stage for the chapters that follow, giving a brief overview and explanation of the environment, forests, wildlife, contemporary Catskills, gambling, nightlife, getting around, driving, transportation services, where to stay and eat, shopping, seasonal considerations, guided trips, and brochures and publications.

Each of the chapters that follow describe in detail all of the above, and in addition provide some interesting tips, and "did you know facts."

As an example, Silverman informs us, Ostriches lack teeth but can painfully clamp down on your hand. Children should be warned to look and not touch.

The Kaaterskill Falls & Catskill Mountain House's guest list is a biographer's dream:
Alexander Graham Bell, Henry James, Oscar Wilde, Ulysses S. Grant, Mark Twain, Winslow Home and Tyronne Power.
Most of all, it was Thomas Cole, leader of the Hudson River School of Landscape painters, who popularized the region with his Catskill Mountain House and other paintings.

The book is also peppered with many other tidbits concerning the history of the hotels and bygone days, the Algonquin influence, community improvements, and works in progress that represent significant projects that may or may not materialize.

No doubt, this guidebook will be of immense aid to those who are contemplating a visit to the Catskills or perhaps those who vacation in the area but were not aware of its many attractions.

Silverman's profound knowledge gives the book a substance well beyond many Catskills' guidebooks.

The Catskills are an underappreaciated area, but Edward Henry's work is doing a lot to help correct this. The trail guide is informative and in-depth beyond the levels of most guides. The book is readable from your favorite armchair as well as a great guide to have on the trail. Every hike I've taken has been awesome.

Well written and informative. This is not only a trail guide but informs the reader of the history of the area

This is a first-rate guide to hiking the Catskills. The author's detailed desciptions, plus maps, leave nothing to the imagination and give you the info you need to enjoy the terrain to the max.

I was going on a hike with some friends into the Catskills and they recommended this book. They were right on to tell me about this. I really liked the detail and the maps. It made more out of the hiking than I usually get. It is well written and easy to use. I think it would be a good book for anyone going to the Catskills.

Makes a perfect Holiday gift! Shows the vibrancy and timeless appeal of New York.

This photographic excursion through Central Park is a real delight. It is just what we all need to remind us of the splendor and joy of New York. The photographs are breathtaking and the text is beautifully wirtten , with just a touch of humor and humility.After enjoying the book myself, I've ordered a number for holiday gifts. I've already heard form some of the folks I sent it to and they share my enthusiam. The real advice: if you don't get this for the holidays, buy it for yourself to get you through the January doldrums.

Makes a perfect Holiday gift! Shows the vibrancy and timeless appeal of New York.

by showing us his "park for all seasons". With his spectacular pictures of the monuments and statuary, the animals, the foliage, the rock formations, the whimisical pictures like the Bride and Groom on rollar skates, the shots of the same setting in different lights, the fountains (and my particular favorite, a sudden snow storm interrupting spring), Mr Freund takes us on a magical trip through the park. There are photos of spots you never knew existed but will long to explore. As a bonus, there are great tips for all of us amateur photographers. And "Lucy" has my vote for cutest dog of the year! Especially in these difficult times, the book is a wonderful reminder to everyone of the beauty and wonder that exists right in the middle of New York City. I couldn't stop smiling as I looked through it. Thank you, Mr. Freund for sharing "your" park with us.

Focuses on the romance and idealism of the artist and his art rather than just functioning as a clinical review of his work... as of this review date (2001), new hardcover copies are still available from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Online Store. I've purchased two.

This is a portrait album of a sampling of Christian Dior's masterpieces shown in the 1996 New York Metropolitain Museum of Art's retrospective. Every garment is beautifully captured. The detail photographs are exceptional.
But this is more than just a picture book about the 11 years Dior designed under his own name. The text offers a balance of historical costume references that Dior used in his creations against the social and economic era he designed in. It is both interesting and informative--two words that usually don't co-exist in most fashion references.
As a coffee-table book, this is a must-have for fashion afficianados. For those who can visualize and appreciate the complexity of drape and construction in some of the garments, there is no excuse not to own this book

The photographs of Christian Dior's magnificent creations are breathtaking. But the writing is unbearably pretentious. Unfortunately, this characteristic is a hallmark of most academic writing. But get the book anyway. Dior was an artist, a seeker of Beauty, and we're all the richer for it.

This book is gorgeous--fabulous photography, lots of detailed shots (I love the way they concentrate on the dresses and don't feel obliged to get the manniquin's head in every shot)--glorious! Get this book now!

If you had a jar of cookies you wouldn't want to eat them all in one day! This book requires patient study over a longer period of time. I would suggest that you aquire other important books in the Tibetan tradition to cross reference this book and to offer more substantiative exegesis. This book is a must for anyone following the non-sectarian path. JB

I personally found this book to be very helpful in dispelling my own ignorance in many aspects of Dharma.
Sakya Pandita's straight forward teaching gives clear and precise view on practices of Tibetan Buddhism.
Sakya Pandita was one of five legendary founders of Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He is highly recognized by all 4 schools of Tibetan Buddhssm, and he was an emanation of Buddha of Wisdom, Manjushri.
Sakya Pandita clearly points of many traps that an ignorant practitioner can get into without understanding of all the aspects of Dharma and the consequences of breacing the vows even due to the simple unawareness.
Sakya Pandita's teaching is like a clear and powerful light and should be studied by all, interested in Dharma.
In this book,Sakya Pandita explains how an ordinary practitioner can really breach all of his vows and connections with Dharma by misinterpretting its meaning. He clearly warns of danger of teaching Dharma by unqualified person, he clarifies all possible confusions about 3 vehicles of Dharma and honestly warns us to humbly study Dharma without creating any false fabrications in our own minds...
Sakya Pandita points that with many benefits of practicing Dharma, comes the great responsibility. And if we will not become aware of those, we can easily slide into many traps of our own ego and grow in huge, and create even more ignorance than before by feeding it our own misinterpretation of Dharma.
Even now, after many centuries, this teaching was given by this great Teacher, the hair on my body stands as I read his clear and meaningful instructions.
It is sort of like a father instructs his children on how to avoid all possible dangers and traps while travelling by foot at night in the mountains...
The least we can do for ourselves now, that we are attempting to understand deep meaing of the Tibetan Buddhism is to simply read this book and try to comprehend its meaning.

This book is the first English translation of the "sDom gsum rab dbye"--one of the most famous and controversial doctrinal treatises of Tibetan Buddhism written by Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltshen (1182 - 1251), a founder of the Sakya school and one of the Tibet's most learned sages

The author discusses the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Tantric vows of Buddhist conduct, which often diverge and contradict each other. He also points out how later practitioners of almost every lineage (including the Kadampa, Kagyupa and Nyingmapa) for contradicting the original teachings of their own traditions.

A very good book which provides much food for thought. Anyone contemplating on the Tibetan Buddhism path should read this first.

This book is the first English translation of the "sDom gsum rab dbye"--one of the most famous and controversial doctrinal treatises of Tibetan Buddhism written by Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltshen (1182 - 1251), a founder of the Sakya school and one of the Tibet's most learned sages

The author discusses the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Tantric vows of Buddhist conduct, which often diverge and contradict each other. He also points out how later practitioners of almost every lineage (including the Kadampa, Kagyupa and Nyingmapa) for contradicting the original teachings of their own traditions.

A very good book which provides much food for thought. Anyone contemplating on the Tibetan Buddhism path should read this first.

It was a lucky crew that got this man for an officer!I can recommend this author and all of his books. Even if he was Navy.

Clear the Decks!

"Salty, irreverent, highly amusing" -- New York Times

"One of the best adventure tales of the war." -- Time Magazine

"A book you don't want to put down once you start reading it." -- Our Navy

"Clear The Decks... has an authentic, briny tang to it. And the climax, the tale of Admiral Gallery's brilliant capture of a German U-Boat, is breath-taking.... Anyone who wants to know the real reason why our Navy wins wars ought to read this book." -- Herman Wouk

"As an action-packed account of a baby flattop's campaign against U-boats in World War II, this is a corker. The author writes with warmth, understanding, clarity and rough humor." -- St. Louis Post Dispatch

"A good deal more than a series of belly-laughs." -- BOMC News

"You do not need to be a lover of the sea to enjoy this splendid and humorous." -- Columbus Dispatch

"A RIP-SNORTING ACCOUNT!" -- Los Angles Mirror

In the forward, the author remarks that this book will never be used as a textbook in any of the high-level military schools. This is a pity. It is easy to understand the successes achieved by Adm. Gallery's units throughout WWII, and while he is much more modest than other senior officers, there can be little doubt that he is the reason for all these victories. Not only is this a wonderful book for anyone who aspires to be a leader, but it is a tremendously amusing and well-written book.

A "must read" for anyone interested in the WWII carrier navy, R.Adm. Gallery relates the tedium of service in Iceland, the terror of being stalked by German U-boats in the North Atlantic, capped off with the true-adventure tale of his Carrier Task Group's *capture* of the German U-boat 505 (now on display in Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry) off the African coast. D.V. Gallery intersperses writing fit for an adventure novel with the facts of history from the "big seat" aboard the USS Guadalcanal - one of the "baby flat-tops" of the Second World War (probably the single most underrated warship of that war)

This book is amazing! It really does have it all. Murder, mystery, and damn funny as well! The story is very original and keeps you guessing throughout the entire book. It also has an amazing cast of characters. One of which is probably the craziest, and funniest character in any book i have ever read. This book is completely great, and everyone should read it!

Keith Gandal is a teacher,and a friend, but most importantly, a fresh, new, and exciting contemporary voice that has emerged from the events of the tail-end of the 20th century. The natural disasters, the unfinished, seemingly unconnected, human tendencies that we all share, and the need to communicate with someone, anyone: these are all themes that one will find in Keith's novel, Cleveland Anonymous.

When I finished reading this novel I thought it was great, but I knew there was more to it; there was a substance below the surface that hadn't hit me yet, which is why I waited a couple weeks to write this review. I wanted it to be from a non-biased POV; and it is. I don't really know what to say, so I will try my best. I thought that by denying a genre, by concentrating on story, not a literary mindframe, which there is way too much of in contemporary fiction, that Gandal approached real life as closely as one can possibly achieve in fiction. The characters were amazing; the dialogue was real; the scenes were perfectly drawn out, perfectly realized, completely truthful; and the prose was dream-like, even magical. The atmosphere that Gandal's has created in this novel is fantastic. When I read a novel I look for something different, something real. I look at a book as an experience; I look at it as a piece of culture that can not and should not be detached from it's place in the world. And when I finished reading Cleveland Anonymous I had a sense of closeness and sense of story and literary attachment to the characters that I have not experienced in any other contemporary novel that I have ever read.

This novel is a wonderful accomplishment, an amazing piece of art, or literary achievement. If a good novel is supposed to give the reader an experience that utilizes all the senses and makes them care about the characters, then Gandal has written one heck of a good book! His fictive world is original and inspiring from not only a writers perspective, but from a human perspective.

I don't want to tell you anything about the plot (I think reviews should deal more with other, more 'inputish' type things, you'll know the plot when you read it!), but I can say that this book moves!! It moves with speed, with grace, with purpose, so fear not. It is a concise piece of fiction, a collection of people that all seem to exist in this modern world of ours without the slightest hint or notion that the bigger things that they experience shape them and make them who they are. But this is special. Too often an author will tell you what you need to know, but Gandal lets you figure it out; he writes a book filled with people, realistic people who think, act, and react like you and I do. If nothing else, read this book for a good, fast story, but if you, like me, like to see a writer experiment with the lives we take for granted everyday, then there is something here for you too.

The list of people who may have inspired this book must be immense, but here are some ideas: Thomas Pynchon (same sense of magical realism [though that is more Gabriel Garcia], the same witty sense of humor), Flannery O'Conner (short, sweet, but emotion filled sentences), Cormac McCarthy (the use of imagery), amongst many others.

Please read this novel. It is a magnificent story, and I hope that this review has inspired someone to pick up Keith Gandal's first (but hopefully not only) novel, but if you don't read it, at least I can say (when this thing hits big) that I told you so!!! Happy reading!

Let's face it: If you're from Cleveland, you don't get no respect. No respect at all. And it mostly stems from the Cuyahoga (pronounced "Cuya-HOG-uh" you out-of-towner) River catching fire. (Well, *that* and our...sports teams.) It's the ultimate absurdity--a body of water catching fire--and therefore a good jumping off point for a stridently absurdist novel.

Gandal's novel delivers. It's the great absurdist Cleveland novel that I've been waiting to read for more years than I can count.

The best moment in the novel, for me anyway, takes place in New York. One of the Cleveland Anonymous members has been discovered with a one-way ticket back to Cleveland in his possession. The Clockwork Orange-esque method used to keep him from going back is an absolute scream.

...

The setting of this book shifts back and forth in place and time -- between Cleveland, Ohio in the 1960's and New York City in the late 1980's. It helps if you know something about one or both of those cities, otherwise you'll miss some of the inside jokes. But ultimately this book is not about Cleveland or New York (and I say that as a compliment). Ultimately this book is a love story, a relationship that actually doesn't even begin -- or resume? -- until the book is almost over. It's a mix of romance and friendship between a man who's not quite sure who he is or what he's about, and a woman who's essentially just the opposite -- or maybe she isn't. You'll have fun trying to figure it out. An amazing, original, and haunting love story.

It's also a murder mystery. And a suspense thriller. But if you're looking for something that reads like John Grisham, look elsewhere. Gandal is speaking to a more thoughtful, more profound audience. If I had to describe this book in one sentence, it would be: "This book is a cross between Fight Club (the book, not the movie) and the poems of Emily Dickinson."

If that's hard to imagine, then you'll just have to read the book. Cleveland Anonymous has the intensity, the directness, and the muscle of Fight Club (the book, not the movie). But Gandal's book also has an extraordinarily light touch with language. Over and over again Gandal taps you on the shoulder -- or gooses you in the rear -- with the precisely-right word, the perfect phrase. Like an Emily Dickinson poem.

This is the best novel I've read since . . . well, since Fight Club (the book, not the movie).

Don't miss it.

great fun read. you can sit down and read it in a day really. the story follows some dominican kids who sell the kilos of coke. it is written like a documentary but has a TON of feeling in it. POOR CHILLE!!!!

Great book about the life of 8 young kids in New York whom changes schools and books for sealing drugs.... It tells how they became dealers,families problems and issues of friendshipp.. even thougth the book is great it does not mention in any page how society tried to help them...because they did not get any help or encoragement... any solutions any where??? more programs in such areas would definately improve the way teeneagers chooses to live their life and make their family more aware of such situations..it is not too late. quite interesting..learned more about drugs than what I ever wanted to....

Pretty good book...

A story concerning the lifes of 8 kids deeply involved in cocaine trade in NYC during the 1980's. It is told from the point of view of an outsider looking in, which I would have rather seen it documented from the 'kids' view but what can you do? Bricks of coke, cut, re-rocked, packaged, street level retail, and all the nitty-gritty details involved with the process. If your looking for a book that tells the tale of the route of cocaine from the source, into the nose/arm of a user, and the people that make it happen. This book is for you, I am a sucker for this type of literature [drug-porn] so take my review with that in mind.

http://www.junkylife.com/seedless

That movie was based on this book. I know this is probably promoting illiteracy and the ills of television, but if you like independents it's a good one. I haven't read the book. I DO READ quie a bit, but was inspired to check out the book because of the movie. The movie meanders a bit, so be prepared. Sorry I havent read the book yet but when I do I'll come back and report on what I thought

I tell everyone I encounter they should read this book! Walker Smith's grasp on the characters and history warranted to tell this story is astounding. I still see the characters as if they are old friends and know you'll do the same. A must read!!!!

Walker Smith is a writer who understands the complexity of the human soul. Here is a writer who is not afraid to delve into the dark, even brutal side of humanity. And yet, this is not a novel of despair, but of hope, deeply rich in compassion and humor. Smith's characters are bold, audacious, frightened and flawed, as only a first-rate storyteller can create. If you care at all about the history of race relations in this country, if you care at all about the ongoing struggle for human dignity, or if you just have a passion for good storytelling-Read This Book!

This was an excellent book. I could not wait to get home from work to finish reading it every day. I usually only read true stories because no one can create a character that is so believable and real. Not until now, anyway. These characters were so real, that I felt like I was living back in their time. I felt like I had a personal relationship with each of them. Now that I finished the book, I'm bored with my life again!!! Does this author have any more books that I can order? What I want to know is why doesn't the whole world know about Walker Smith?

(...a new Walker Smith fan)

Smith's characters are formed in the first few chapters then expertly woven into a storyline which encompasses the inhumanity of man in war and in peace as well as the determination of a few
dreamers who must decide how high is the price of integrity. I didn't put it down 'till I was done. Thank God for weekends! An enjoyable read (that last line was for my mother who loathes the use of the word "read" as a noun. I just sent her this book. Happy Mothers Day Mom!)

A wild ride through the passionate and somehow dehumanizing scene of aspiring actors circa 1970's. O'Connor has a real knack for creating flesh and blood characters. The story provokes some hard to answer questions. Idealism in a practical world. Duty to art and its toll on human kindness. The lure of and addiction to pain and suffering. Looking forward to O'Connor's next probe. Highly recommemded.

I became engrossed in this book from the minute I started reading it. Ms.O'Connor has that uncanny knack of being able to write insightfully about both men and women, and as I grew to know them intimately and experience their emotions and passions, I found myself deeply rooting for each of them. Their attitudes towards the theatre and towards each other kept growing and changing -- always with a wit underneath that was enormously appealing. I felt as if I had spent many hours with friends I cared about. I hated finishing this book...

Company of Three is a moving, funny, wise story of acting and the 70's that is itself a work of art. It is an inside look that is both illuminating and that tells the truth.

A Company of Three kept me reading non-stop until the end. The beauty of O'Connor's writing in this tightly knit story draws the reader into the lives of the three young and aspiring actors, who each try to live their passion and struggle to find their way within a complex and tough New York acting world with its own rules and chances. O'Connor's love for acting and her inside knowledge of the acting scene shines through in every sentence. I highly recommend this wonderful book.