New Jersey Books

Laura Schenone's book-length essay is an expertly crafted exposition of her search for family history, for barely-surviving traditions, for connections to immigrant ancestors who were strangers to her. She is, by her own admission, "obsessed" with replicating the ravioli of her great-grandmother. She longs for authenticity, for real nourishment in a world of "silver wrapped", mass produced cream cheese. She longs to know who they were, this Genovese couple who came to New Jersey from the isolated, breathtakingly beautiful mountains of Italy so many years ago.

Immersed in the demanding cycles of domesticity, raising two young sons, it is in the chores and delights of the kitchen that she recognizes her mission and begins her quest.

This book speaks to the the mystery of generation, the families who spring forth, the gathering around the table on feast days, and on ordinary days as well. The mothers nourish so that the families may flourish. Schenone's masterful prose absorbed me. I could not put this book down.

I ate this book up and still wanted more. I am 1/2 Italian as well, the same age as the author, have 2 boys as does the author, and have what I thought was the only mixed up crazy family. I chose education and career over learning how to cook, so I loved hearing about her search. Laura write a sequel! More pictures!

This is one of the oddest books I have ever read and I recommend it to anyone -not just food lovers. It kept me facinated until the end. One of those books which enlightens one to the small but exciting adventures people can find themselves caught up with. You don't have to be a movie star or run for president to find some exciting things in your own life. Laura Schenone did this and brought the reader along with her. I don't know this lady but it would be fun having her for a neighbor - especially for Christmas ravioli.

Schenone has written a mesmerizing meditation on food that is a mystery, a memoir and a love letter to ravioli all at once. The book made me wish I had Italian ancestors, so I could go hop a plane and explore the mountains of Italy to track down secret recipes, and hidden family lore, too. Instead I made the walnut sauce--which was delicious. This book is a beautiful and honest memoir about a woman's search to understand her family and herself. Honestly, I didn't want the journey to end.

I love this book! It is a little bit cooking, a little bit history, a little bit travel, a little bit genealogy, a little bit family drama. I had borrowed a copy from my local library, and I enjoyed it so much that I had to buy it.
I am intending to try some of the recipes and make my own ravioli.(My all time favorite food)

Tomorrow They Will Kiss is a brilliantly crafted novel told in first person narrative by three Cuban-Americans who endure the hardships of minimum wage factory jobs in Union City, New Jersey. They make dolls, or most of the dolls, but are never allowed to attach the heads. The doll is a very interesting metaphor for a novel that reveals just how broken people become when they face what many did when they were forced to leave Cuba for a not always friendly America. I truly adore these story-telling characters: Graciela, Caridad, and Imperio. Often Cuban-American writers indulge themselves in self-pity. That is not what Eduardo Santiago has done at all. Naturally Mr. Santiago has an anti-Castro bias, but the politics of Cuba stays in the background as the three women command the stage, telling not only her own story but telling the stories of the other two as well. And, of course, they tell the stories of the other Cuban-American women working in the doll factory. First person narrative is difficult to master. Most men, in my opinion, do poorly when they try to capture the real voices of women. Not so in this novel. This is a novel that I truly didn't want to end. I only wish there were a sequel.

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a voracious reader. For maybe even longer than that, I have had a passion for reading novels written with a Latin American context. I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end. It takes you into two different worlds, worlds that collide and coincide, intertwining the two worlds along the way. A young Cuban woman, exiled in her own community in Cuba and again in New Jersey, by the same community. She holds herself with a quiet dignity that irritates her fellow Cubans, who grew up with her in her homeland.
This book is about mistakes made and forgiveness sought, but not at a price of humility. A great read!!

Santiago takes you back to 1960's Union City and Cuba via the lives pre and post Castro of three strong women, each with her own perception of life, love and war. I began reading the novel on a plane and devoured it in one sitting - I strongly recommend it!

It is hard to imagine that this book was written by a man. I really got some good laughs reading some passages in this book; but it also deals with some not so funny issues of people following a path of not of their choosing and forced to make difficult decisions. I really enjoyed reading this book. I would strongly recommend it!

EDUARDO SANTIAGO, in my opinion, eventually will win the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished fiction by an American author, and he may be the next writer of Cuban descent to do so. TOMORROW THEY WILL KISS is right up there with other Pulitzer Prize winners. Santiago is young, and he has talent and dedication. And so it is, I believe, a matter of time.

Graciela, Caridad and Imperio--Cuban women in exile--work in a doll factory in New Jersey. Santiago segues back to Cuba throughout the novel, so we can see the life they left during the Cuban Revolution and understand what they're up against in the U.S. Graciela deals with her frustrations just like American women do--by losing herself in TV soap operas.

Conjure up for me the older American who has never escaped into radio soaps, including the one that asked the question, "Can this girl from the little mining town in the West find happiness as the wife of a wealthy and titled Englishman?" (OUR GAL SUNDAY in the 1940s.) Find me the younger American who has never lost herself in THE GUIDING LIGHT, ALL MY CHILDREN, or DALLAS.

Like these beloved sagas, Santiago's TOMORROW THEY WILL KISS will capture your interest, make you laugh, challenge your beliefs, and break your heart.

TOMORROW THEY WILL KISS is a great read, and I can almost guarantee you will love it. You will love it because in this novel you will find not only yourself, but also your parents, your cousins, and the friends you grew up with. One of the things I admire about this writer is his ability to make people from a culture entirely different from mine seem just like folks I have always known.

And ladies, you are in for a treat, because this is a novel by that rarity in the male-dominated world of great literature: a male writer who truly understands women and appreciates us, in spite of the faults--if any--we may have.

Buy this book and read it soon. You will laugh, cry, and delight in your discovery of EDUARDO SANTIAGO, a man who is becoming one of the great writers of our time.

This is very touching story of the (mainly) men who conducted the recovery operations at Ground Zero. The telling is true to the tremendous respect shown to those who perished (nothing titillating) and is inspiring in its humanity and faith. Anyone who has ever worked anywhere will appreciate the turf skirmishes that were waged.

The writing, however, is a bit simple.

I have not even finished reading this book yet, but I am blown away by the extraordinary story this man has to tell, and told with such heart. This is a major contribution to the history of 9/11.

Excellent read. Heartbreaking at times, but well written of the trials and
tribulations of the Ground Zero Recovery mission
This book honors the months day after day the recovery workers devoted to trying to find bodies. Some of the rescue workers suffered emotionally and physically, yet others kept going to the end.
I recommend highly

It was an incredible and accurate account of the heroics and emotions involved in the months of recovery at ground zero. A must read.

This is the story that needed to be told of the many courageous, heroic men and women involved in this search and recovery effort. It is also the story of the courageous, heroic families who lived through this effort with their loved ones. It is a must read.

This is a funny book and a good read! I read it in about a day, simply because I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. The vegetarian, Unitarian, Prius-driving, pantry-moth breeding Gettleman-Summers will have you turning the pages faster than you can say "Tubular Bells."

I picked this book up at the library because of the title and I'm glad I did. Debra Galant's intimate look into the lives of a not-so-ordinary NJ family is both funny and poignant, and I found myself groaning out loud as each calamity struck these well-meaning individuals.

I was particularly fond of Michael, the stereotypically boring meteorologist husband. Poor Michael. It seems that he can't do anything right, and certainly doesn't deserve the fate that befalls him.

Galant's visuals are right on the money and more than just reading about these characters, I was living their agonies with them. As I read, I could see this book as a movie. Nothing is left to the imagination.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

The title grabbed me and then I couldn't put the book down. I read it in 24 hours annoyed whenever I HAD to stop to feed the kids, or walk the dog, or lie to the husband about some money thing.

Great insight into all the characters, male and female, young and old. Lots of good quirky stuff too. I'm sending my husband to Newark Airport with a camera ASAP! I loved it!

This is a screwball comedy about a family (mom, dad, son, grandma and grandpa) all busy "seeking" something - the thing is, none of them are quite sure what it is.

Nina, the protagonist, owns a posh yoga studio in New Jersey. She tries to be the perfect enlightened yoga instructor (at least to all appearances) when a feng shui consultant wanders in to tell Nina her studio has bad energy - setting off a ripple effect of comedi-tragic events.

As Nina becomes increasingly freaked out by her feng shui worries, her husband loses his job, her normally good son acts out in school and her blustering parents decide to visit. All of this is framed by the increasingly ominous arrival of Hurricane Ida, an ideal metaphor for this family's internal chaos and desperation.

You can taste the sense of squeaky-clean New Jersey suburbia - and understand the price people pay to maintain such outward "perfection." Like many families, Nina's picture perfect outward image isn't built on solid ground.

If you grew up in a family of strong women on the East Coast, there are a lot of recognizable elements here: Nina's own controlling thoughtlessness; Nina's old school, matriarchal overbearing mother; a mellow, slightly cowed, slightly incompetent set of "good provider" husbands; and the quiet son who decides to rebel against the Stepford-perfect ways of his politically-correct, New Age mom by secretly becoming an orthodox Jew.

Each character is cunningly drawn and entirely realistic, even if the series of events is not. There are no heroes, or even villains here (well, except the actually very scary Homeland Security officer).

The resolution offers no nicely packaged answers. Everyone is still a bit messed up. Perhaps they've have drawn back from the edge of desperation and grown slightly in self-knowledge.

Or maybe not. At the very end, Nina reveals she's latched onto her next big thing...

It's a short book and a quick read. While the plot isn't particularly compelling, I found it hard to put the novel down.

I was mainly attracted to this book because of the title: I grew up in New Jersey (although South Jersey, fairly distant from the suburban New York setting featured here), and I practice yoga regularly. The plot features about a week in the life of yoga instructor Nina Gettleman-Summer and her family. Nina has just open a beautiful new yoga studio, but to her dismay, she discovers that it has bad karma. With extraordinarily bad timing, her husband's job as a meteorologist is outsourced, their son Adam decides that he wants to embrace his previously unclaimed Jewish heritage in order to have a bar mitzvah, and Nina's parents decide to evacuate their hurricane-threatened home in Florida to come stay with their daughter and her family.

What follows is a zany comedy in the tradition of such old movie classics as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Nina struggles to use Feng Shui to clear the bad karma from both of her studio and her home, her husband Michael gets in trouble with Homeland Security, her son Adam pays a visit to fringe rabbis, and both of her parents are suspected of being crazy. It's a wild--and sometimes implausible--ride, but of course, everything comes together at the end. Overall, this was a quick, fun read, and I'd recommend it in particular to fans of offbeat comedy.

The novel, The Dogs Who Came to Stay by George Pitcher depicts the lives of four beings, two dogs and two humans. It is a memoir written in honor of Lupa and Remus, two dogs that changed the lives of their owners and offer proof that animals have emotions as well as rational thought. George Pitcher describes how his life and the life of his friend Ed Cone were greatly influenced by these two very unique creatures. The book is full of funny as well as emotionally appealing anecdotes about their lives with the dogs. Upon beginning the book it is easy to think that it was the two dogs who gained the most by being adopted into the home of George and Ed. By the end, it is apparent that the human's lives were influenced just as much as the dogs were by this act of kindness.

In his writing, Pitcher is able to demonstrate and portray the obvious emotions, affections, reasoning, and personality that is contained within this being, the dog. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves dogs, likes to read a touching story, and especially to anyone who doubts that animals have and can display emotions.

This book is a very interesting, exiting and humorous. It is a real life story of love and friendship, that will appeal to readers both young and old. Remus has a winning, positively personality that people recognized at once.

The book is so exiting and very humorous. The type of the book is caring and loving.The story shows the relationship between George and the dogs.The most character I loved was Remus.He is so energetic and playful.

I stumbled upon this book in the library recently, and have since told all my friends they must read it!! I think the fact that it was written by a man made it even more special. It always surprises me when men show their feelings so openly and with total abandonment, eg: Nicholas Sparks, James Michael Pratt, to name a few... The love and devotion that these two Princeton professors had for these dogs was so intense. Their dedication to the animals was astounding and therefore reciprocated in great abundance. Anyone who owns a dog, has ever owned a dog, or needs to be convinced of the immeasurable experience of owning a dog, needs to read this book. It touched me more than any story of animal/person unconditional love and devotion that I have ever read. A must read!

This is a true tale of the stray wild dog, who looking for a place to have her imminent brood of pups, takes up residence under the shed of two middle-aged batchelor academics at Princeton. They slowly befriend her and coax her out to trust them and take food for the pups. Despite their busy lives she is greatly loved, and she and one of her pups become very much part of the family. The story is told very simply and lovingly. They have some entertaining experiences in French restaurants and aboard ocean-going liners. Recommended for dog-lovers everywhere, who will all relate to it strongly.

MAD MOUSE is the second John Ceepak mystery. John and Danny Boyle are back and it's the end of the summer, so their TILT-A-WHIRL escapades are only a couple months behind them at this point. The Sea Haven Police Department is going to hire one summer cop for a full-time position, and Danny has submitted his application for the position.

A big end-of-summer, Labor Day celebration is being planned on the beach to try to renew everyone's faith in the Sea Haven vacation spot.

Danny and his circle of friends head out to the beach one night before Labor Day to celebrate National Toasted Marshmallow Day. Their celebration is cut short when they are all assaulted by an unknown shooter with a paintball gun. No one is seriously injured, but the shooter is in the wind and has left a calling card, a Phantom trading card.

The chief instructs Ceepak and Danny to investigate this incident very quietly. They don't want anyone riling folks up and scaring them away from the big Labor Day party. But the investigation doesn't remain quiet for long.

Chris Grabenstein has created a couple of absolutely wonderful characters. And while I rated TILT-A-WHIRL a five-star book, and still stick to that rating, I think MAD MOUSE topped it, but I have no where to go from five-stars. This is a five-star PLUS book.

Danny begins to take on more dimension in this book. He experienced quite an ordeal in TILT-A-WHIRL, and the results are apparent in MAD MOUSE. He's determined to become a full-time police officer and strive to be the kind of officer that Ceepak is. Grabenstein also shows Danny morphing through the use of Danny's relationships with his friends.

Ceepak has been an extremely rich character from the get-go. In MAD MOUSE we see more of who this man is. And I love him even more than I did in TILT-A-WHIRL. Grabenstein sneaks in a little environmental message with Ceepak in this novel when he and Danny are checking out a garbage can on the beach for clues. Danny tells Ceepak that he thinks the maintenance people empty the cans every day, and Ceepak's response is, "They should. They should also recycle these plastic bottles." A man after my own heart! Looking out for the environment. We also see an attraction between Ceepak and a woman in this novel, so we're permitted a little more of a view into the person, not just the cop. AND, we even see a possible slip in The Code during this novel. Regardless of that slip, Danny is spot on when he says,

"...John Ceepak has a code he tries to live by. He will not lie, cheat, or steal. He will, however, leave some damn decent footprints for you to try and trace in the sand."

As in TILT-A-WHIRL, Grabenstein has chosen a plot with a very serious tone. His humor helps to lighten the tone but not demean it at all. He walks a thin line and manages to maintain the seriousness of the plot with humor to make it fun. After both books I found myself saying, "Wow! That was a heavy theme. But it sure was a lot of fun to read."

The action is wonderful, too. I had to note in my book during a car chase because I felt my heart rate increase as I was reading about them zooming around. I could envision it as a movie director's dream. And then there was a sudden halt to the chase. You feel all that momentum as you're reading through the scene. It's wonderful.

MAD MOUSE is written so that you don't need to read TILT-A-WHIRL first, but I would recommend reading it first if you're able to. I think that MAD MOUSE will mean more if you've already read TILT-A-WHIRL. It did for me anyway. Again, I can't recommend this book highly enough.

WHACK A MOLE heralds the welcome return of Chris Grabenstein's series featuring the pairing of narrator Danny Boyle, a rookie police officer in the beach town of Sea Haven, New Jersey, and John Ceepak, an older, more experienced cop. Boyle, on the cusp of adulthood, is the stereotypical newbie in thrall of Ceepak, the straight-arrow Iraq War veteran with a by-the-book code of honor and an encyclopedic range of knowledge. Readers of the previous novels may be somewhat surprised with the decidedly darker turn that WHACK A MOLE takes, making it much closer to SLAY RIDE --- Grabenstein's stand-alone thriller of 2006 --- than to TILT-A-WHIRL or MAD MOUSE.

Things get rolling in WHACK A MOLE when Ceepak discovers an old class ring on the beach while treasure hunting. He identifies the rightful owner and reunites him with his ring. It turns out that the owner had given the ring to a young woman who subsequently vanished some 20 years before. Ceepak is intrigued and starts to quietly investigate the long-ago disappearance, with Boyle in tow and observing. It is not long before other objects --- grisly objects --- from the past begin to show up in highly unlikely places.

It becomes obvious to Ceepak and Boyle that years ago a serial murderer had operated, undetected, in Sea Haven and is now getting ready to end his hiatus. Grabenstein offers up a likely cast of suspects and potential victims, even as Ceepak and Boyle discover that some of their greatest obstacles to solving the case lie not from outside the police department but from within, as their investigation is hampered by professional jealousy and efforts to cover up what were apparently cold crimes in the interest of preserving the financial success of the current tourist season. Yet Ceepak and Boyle soon find that the mysterious killer is leaving them no choice, as he not only has picked his next target but also has selected someone close to one of the team.

Grabenstein has crafted a solid mystery here. The manner in which the killer taunts the police is very unique --- I will never be able to walk into a resort town gift shop again without thinking of this book --- and the identity of the murderer, while plausible, will keep you guessing. I was absolutely sure I had his identity pegged and nailed, but I was totally wrong. This series has already won an Anthony Award in the course of its short history; after reading WHACK A MOLE, it would seem that Grabenstein, who undoubtedly will receive additional accolades, may need to add a trophy room to his domicile if he has not done so already.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Oh, that there were more men like Ceepak, and more writers like Chris Grabenstein. Grabenstein never disappoints in his plot twists, characters or humor. One of the best mystery writers of his kind and a worthy winner of awards.

Read one of Grabenstein's Ceepak mysteries and you'll be wanting more and more.

Chris Grabenstein just keeps getting better and better. The first Ceepak mystery, Tilt A Whirl, won an Anthony. Whack A Mole ought to win a Pulitzer. Can't wait for the next one.

John and Danny are back, working together in Sea Haven, New Jersey in Chris Grabenstein's latest book WHACK A MOLE.

This may be the most complex story yet, as John finds jewelry buried in the sand of the beach that leads back to the unsolved disappearance of a young woman. This mystery quickly leads to a series of murders, all of young woman during the same time period during the 1980s. Eventually all the crimes are tied to a ministry among run aways, and just when you are sure you know who the killer is, you find out how wrong you are!

But more than just the pure pleasure of the story, and the delight of being surprised at who the real killer is, I realized what it is that makes me love the characters of John Ceepak and Danny Boyle.

John, who grew up in a troubled family and made something of himself, lives a life of honor. He is a cop because it defines his life in a way he has always desired - to be a good man.

Danny, who grew up secure and with a full life of friendship, but no real ambition, finds in John Ceepak the guide who makes him a better man. It is not that Danny was ever a bad person, but John brings out the best in him.

Together, they are the very definition of what is good about people. The desire to find a way to live a better life, and be someone who is a benefit not only to their friends, but to their community and world.

You can't help but admire them, and they are also people you can truly like.

Personally, I can't wait for more adventures with these two young cops in Sea Haven. They make my world a better place.

I can't wait to read this book! I've heard so many good things about it and the you tube trailer is sooooooooooooooo cool! The only thing I wish I could get it on audio cd so I could listen to it on my way to work. But, I'll make the time to read it and look forward to the movie............

I was contacted by Donald Gallinger recently, asking if I'd be interested in receiving a copy of his book The Master Planets. The description and premise was such that I was interested enough to agree. Within about 25 pages, my "I need to be doing..." list was completely shot, because I didn't want to put the book down. That surprised me a bit, as Master Planets isn't necessarily an action-driven novel. But the characters were so real that I found myself emotionally drained at the end.

The story starts with Peter Jameson meeting with an Israeli ambassador who is asking him to attend yet another memorial tribute to his mother. He's tired of being a figurehead for who his mother was and what she did during World War II. From that meeting, Gallinger takes you back to Peter's youth and traces his path to where he finds himself now. Jameson was always convinced that he was meant to be a rock star, and with a few friends he formed a band called The Master Planets. Through a combination of skill, stubbornness, and a little luck, The Master Planets start a meteoric rise up the record charts. But lurking in the background is Peter's family. His mother has a secret past that has never been revealed to the kids. His father is relatively detached from the family, although he cares for them very much. Through a series of events, Peter finds that his mother was a partisan resister during the war, and was responsible for saving thousands of lives of Jews through her actions. But she was also responsible for the gruesome deaths of many German soldiers, and indirectly for the deaths of countless others who were killed in reprisal for her assassinations and raids. Her suicide and possible link to the death of a German war criminal starts to gnaw at his creative efforts, and the band's success starts to stagnate. When an Israeli general contacts him and starts to reveal the full story of his mother's past, it sends Peter and all those around him into a tailspin. He has to figure out how to reconcile his mother's past with his current life, and no part of that life is unaffected.

I was surprised at the way this grabbed me, as I'm normally more inclined to shy away from introspective novels. It's not that there's no action in The Master Planets, it's simply a case of the characters interaction with their past is what drives the story and plot. The book was written in first-person form from Peter's point of view, and I immediately found myself immersed in his life and emotions. A reader who is more contemplative will likely get even more out of the book than I did. But regardless of which type of reader you are, The Master Planets will take you on an emotional ride that you won't quickly forget.

When I got this book in the mail and read it the same day, I immediately bought five more copies and have been sharing them with friends and family. There is a lot here. It brings the effects of the Holocaust to present day America. I have not met Don Gallinger but know I will like you for your depth and insight. Thanks for a great read.

This is a great book. I read the whole thing in two sittings.

The Master Planets compares to le Carre or any of the great adventure/thriller writers. Unexpected plot twists and believeable characters that I really cared about kept me glued to the pages. The story is alternatly fun, thrilling, scary and surprising -- but never, ever dull. I was impressed a Gallinger's effort -- a fine first book. No, a really great first book.

Read it!

I normally shy away from first novels until they're reviewed in The New York Times or the New Yorker. But a friend whose taste I respect urged me to read The Master Planets, and I wasn't sorry. In fact, I couldn't put it down. This is really a page-turner! Gallinger limns the main characters and makes us care about them before whirling them through a maelstrom of emotions that the reader ultimately shares. His feel for place and atmosphere - whether at a New Jersey motor cycle gang's party or in the snowy forests of wartime Poland - is so sure and the discriptions so beautifully written that I felt like I was there right next to the characters. This isn't a feeling I've experienced with such intensity since reading Crime and Punishment when I was a teenager.

Gallinger is an extremely talented writer, and I'm anxious to read his next book. This one would make a great movie!

Diane Markowitz

This is an amazing story of one man's life in oneness with nature and all things spiritual. It opened my eyes and mind to the ways of the Indians and early man. And it made me realize just how far we have strayed in our busy, consumeristic, technological society. I admire his patience, his self-reliance, his discipline, and his willingness to share this with the "outside world."

This was the first Tom Brown Jr. book I read. Than I read, The Journey and than, The Quest. I have also read several other Tom Brown Jr. books but these 3 are my favorites. I have read each of these books at least 3 times and learn more each time I read them. They will keep you grounded in reality and your spirituality.
I could not recommend it higher and would encourage everyone to pass on this vital information to family and friends before our ignorance and greed destroys us.

This book it truely incredible. It will make your re-evaluate your life and the way you live it. I think everyone should read this book at least once, if not once every year, just to get grounded again. A definate must buy!

I am thrilled with how fast the book arrived and the excellent condition it is in. Will definitely buy from this seller again.

In 1988 I happened upon the earlier edition of this book by Tom Brown, Jr. It was one of those books that seemed to "jump off" of the book-store shelf and right into my hands. In this book Tom describes his childhood adventures of meeting and learning from an old Native American medicine man named Stalking Wolf who was also called "Grandfather." It is still today one of my favorite books, worn and dog-eared. Tom's explorations and the instructions he received from Grandfather helped me return to that core connection with my Native American relations and to renew my pilgrimage into Native American spirituality.

After reading Tom's book I telephoned him to ask about his survival training program. He described a program that sounded far too rigorous for me at that time in my life, so Tom recommended I contact the Sun Bear Tribe that offered a softer and easier program started by the late Sun Bear, a Native American medicine man.

That began a pilgrimage to a wilderness program and then to a life changing vision quest, all of which has deepened and enriched my personal spiritual life.

This book holds a honored and holy place on my bookshelf. I am sorry it is out of print.

The Rev. Dr. Prentice Kinser III, author of LIMITLESS LIVING, A Guide to Unconventional Spiritual Exploration and Growth

When I moved to NJ I joined a newcomers' club and offered to help run a Daytrips group. This book(including its various future editions)was our constant companion and ever ready reference. It also worked for the many house guests that suddenly appeared now that we lived near NYC. We had a great time visiting many of the sites Barbara had previewed for us...and her observations were right on. Note: She does advise that you check dates and time as these change.

When I moved to GA I brought it with me and I often lend it to friends and friends of friends planning to visit NYC or "The Garden State". They are always delighted and wonder why we don't have such a resource for GA.

The 9th edition (which is being shown on the screen right now as of November 17), is still the best guidebook to NJ around. Published in 2000, it is more up-to-date than many others, and still shows plenty of personal opinions as well as the basic facts. Available mostly thru "used-like new" option on Amazon because the publisher is out of stock of new copies, but has plenty of books that were a tiny-bit bent when shipped in cartons or shipped back from stores that went out of business.

Those of you looking for the latest edition of New Jersey Day Trips may be having a hard time, thanks to Amazon's crazy automatic system. They presently have an older edition on the top line, with no indication of what edition it is. If you want to buy a "used, like new" copy of the 9th edition, type in the ASIN number in the little rectangular box on the amazon front page. That will take you to the correct 9th edition. The number is 0960776281. The 9th edition was published in 2000 and is the most recent. The 10th edition will not be out until spring, 2004.
Thanks, Barbara Hudgins, author.

I recently visited a friend/colleague in New Brunswick and we took some excursions to whatever the "nuclear waste" state was supposed to offer. Actually, they had grass and trees and gorgeous parks that we visited over a long weekend. This book was in the front seat and I learned as much about this wonderful part of America from reading along the way as actually seeing it!

Although the 8th edition is a great book, it was published in 1998. The most recent edition available at this time (10/2003) is the 9th edition published in 2000. It's ASIN number is 0960776281. That is about the only way to get to it since Amazon.com refuses to put up the 9th edition first on the page although I have asked them to many times. You can buy "used-like new" that are actually new, unread copies that have come back from bookstores as returns, or had slightly dented covers are were never sent out. Thanks a lot, Barbara Hudgins

Waylaid by Ed Lin is the antithesis of the typical (or stereotypical) Asian-American account of academic or personal success in America. Ed Lin describes a different slice of Asian-America - one told through the eyes of a twelve year old Taiwanese American whose parents own and inhabit a drab roadside motel in a nameless section of Jersey. If Los Angeles and New York are the epicenters of East Asian success, Ed Lin's New Jersey is the hushed corner of Americana where an alternative Asian saga unfolds.

The moldy motel where our narrator relates his experience is populated by a randy cast of characters: hookers and johns, transient war veterans and overbearing Asian mothers. The narrator's preoccupation with losing his virginity amidst the comings and goings of the motel's sexual clientele revealed a side of my own self which identified with the trappings of obsession. Much like him, the exposure to sexual imagery turned me on at an early age to a decidedly adult subject.

After reading Lin's gorgeous piece of fiction, the greatest comfort is in the knowledge that we understand each other: both of us grew up in the shadow of Asian American stardom.

Lin tells an amazing story that is devoid of pretense and is richly heartfelt. To see such honest writing, especially in a debut novel, is quite rare these days. This coming of age story also rings true because his dialogue is always appropriately calibrated. Highly recommended!

WAYLAID does exactly that to readers. It takes them on a journey ostensibly to the gritty world of the Jersey Shore back in the 1980s but really to the mind of a 12-year-old Chinese American boy who's stuck manning the counter of his parents' fleabag motel.

To some, that description might sound depressing. But to others, it's the recipe for drama. And even to some 12-year-olds, a dream job.

Whatever the case, the book sucks you in into a world peopled by unforgettable characters. The strongest trait of the book, however, is by far the voice of the protagonist. It's a refreshing air of irreverence filled with longing that forces you to read on.

If you're into books about yuppie Asian American success stories or Asian American versions of chick-lit, complete with at least a dozen references to various Korean dishes, this book really isn't going to do it for you. But if you want to read a book that's real, WAYLAID is about as good a start as you can get.

This book is a book that I wish I could have written. It's genuine and it's got heart. And on top of everything, it has tons of laugh-out-loud moments that will delight you even in the face of the dark realities it depicts. It also helped me to write LAS CUCARACHAS, my second novel.

A beguiling and bittersweet coming-of-age tale told from a unique perspective. At once bawdy and emotionally resonant, squalid and life-affirming. A great book, all in all.

This novel of a young Chinese American is a classic bildungsroman in the Bukowski "Ham on Rye" sense. America in the 70' and 80's suffered from a dilapidated post-vietnam depression that is captured very accurately here. You can see the paint rotting off the wood in Lin's world. His world is gritty, reminding me of the LA suburb that Bukowski describes and the contstant excess he was faced with as well. He is faced with prostitutes on a daily basis. Older men befriend him and treat him like an adult; only to fall to vice and the police later on. In some ways, this book is a mirror reflecting so many struggles people face in pulling themselves from the mediocrity or our childhood years.