Alabama Books

The description of this book would be much more useful if it bothered to state the location of "Town Creek." I know of several different sites known by that name, so which of them is the subject of this book? I can't believe that small but obligatory piece of information was left out of the press for this book. The answer turns out to be North Carolina, by the way.

Back Cover description: ALABAMA "I could teach you what a man likes and wants from his woman.--Britt Cameron. She had offered him shelter against the storm-filled night. Now Britt Cameron couldn't refuse pretty Anna Rose Palmer anything--not even her plea that he pose as her fiance. Seemed everyone thought Anna Rose an old maid, and she was hoping to stop all the talk. And the plan worked, until the night Britt showed this innocent beauty the power of passionate love. Now Anna Rose was not just a temporary bride; she was a woman ripe with his child. A child he swore would have his name. But would the sexy loner give Anna Rose his heart?

This is from the BABIES & BACHELORS USA series. I couldn't find the Desire logo anywhere. Interesting story, different in that none of these people seem to have money. They're all working people. He has just been acquitted from a murder charge and is looking for a place to heal. She is strong character who has come to grips with her life. Both find love, and the real murderer gets caught. Interesting story.

I recently carried this book along for a driving trip (carrying bicycles) that my daughter and I took down the Southern Atlantic coast (NC, SC, GA), veering to north central Florida before turning around for home. The book was ok, but only for pointing us in a general direction and then mapping out our own rides from there. The maps are relatively easy to follow and they do a good job categorizing the type of rides from Rambles up to Challenges, but I found myself wanting more 'challenge' on the Cruises and Rambles and less 'challenge' for the Classics and Challenges. Perhaps it's just a matter of personal preference.

Our first stop was Jekyll Island, GA. We were not too pleased to learn that the Jekyll Island Ramble, noted as "an excellent bike ride for the entire family", was in reality a highly dangerous path (~3 ft. wide) shared with other cyclists and pedestrians coming and going from both directions. Was appalled to read the island maps and literature strongly suggesting that cyclists stay off the real roads and on these hazardous paths. My daughter and I ignored that suggestion for the most part, but still had to navigate around a few cyclists riding on the left side of the road so to stay with their riding partners who had opted to stay on the path. I understand why some people might prefer or be attracted to bicycle paths. However, I think that ALL bicycle riders would do well to understand that the basic rules of cycling are pretty much the same as the rules of the road for drivers. IMO, if people would ride with this awareness, there would be very little need to sequester cyclists (or cyclists to sequester themselves) onto choked and dangerous little paths with pedestrians as is the case on Jekyll Island. The marsh and harbor side of the island was very quiet and sparsely traveled as compared to the ocean/beach side. We did follow the bike path for a bit because it veered away from the road and was very scenic.

Our next stop was St. Augustine, FL. Car traffic along A1A was far too heavy and the streets way too narrow to even attempt the St. Augustine Ramble - my 12 year old is a good road rider, but easily overwhelmed. To sandwich her between all those cars would have been cruel and unthinkable. We did walk down St. Georges Street, but I can't imagine attempting to cycle through all that pedestrian traffic as the book suggests. I was tempted to snatch a few of the children on scooters and scold them for weaving in and out so closely among the walkers - what the heck were their parents thinking, or were they thinking??

On to North Central Florida, location of the Suwannee River Classic ride. No way was my short-legged 12 year old going to ride 98 miles, but to our good fortune, most of the country roads in that area were lightly trafficked by motor vehicles so that we were able to tailor our riding distances accordingly. Falling Creek Falls was a very lovely and scenic stop and not one that would normally be found by most tourists. I wished that the book had highlighted more of the gorgeous fresh water springs in that area and/or mapped some rides to them. The one listed, Ichetucknee Springs, was a pretty place, but not particularly bicycle friendly. People might do well to pick up the Bicycle Facilities Map for North Central Florida at any of the tourism offices - I thought it listed a better and more extensive range of rides and intend to return one day to explore them more thoroghly.

We wound up back on the NC coast to finish off our vacation. By then it was the weekend. I would NOT suggest doing the Cape Fear Challenge ride on a weekend day, even to my worst enemy. I'm not sure when would be the best time to do a ride like this. 421S on the front end of this trip is always car-packed. One must also watch out for hwy 133N on the backside. On Saturdays and Sundays, this is a 2 lane road with NO shoulders heavily trafficked by pickup trucks and SUVs towing big boats on trailers. An early morning weekday jaunt down 133N to Orton Plantation and the Brunswick Historic Site might be quite pleasant, however. Do remember your bug spray as the book suggests! The biting flies and 'no-see-umms' are already thick as of this posting - late April. We stayed in Southport and this area is close to 'home' territory to me. We didn't attempt the Cape Fear Challenge, tho I ran into two cylists who had tried unsuccessfully to cyle out 133N and back. I rode Bald Head Island (all golf-carts, no cars) with my daughter on Saturday and then took a lone early Sunday morning jaunt from Southport to Oak Island - very pleasant!

To sum it up, this is not the worst book of rides, but not the best either. I do appreciate that the book was helpful in providing a little direction for us to head towards, even though we tailored and altered most of the listed rides to suit our own riding style and abilities.

Roy Bentley, Boy in a Boat (University of Alabama Press, 1986)

Boy in a Boat is not a bad little book. Not at all. There are a number of very good poems here, and most of the rest are good, occasionally slipping down into the territory of average. Overall, though, it's an above-average collection. The problem is, there's really nothing to distinguish it from hundreds of other above-average poetry collections put out by University presses; no reason for me to say "buy this one, rather than these others over here." But if you happen to have the disposable income and are looking to pick something up that will be enjoyable and look better than the newest Jodi Picoult non-thriller while you're reading it on the bus, Roy Bentley is certainly one of the avenues worth considering.

I don't like how the 2nd edition of this book (which was published in 1991) begins with propaganda promoting LaRouche... I don't know enough about him and his supporters to have a firm opinion, one way or the other, BUT I do not like how this version of the book leaves out the forward, introduction and the last two chapters, which appeared in the first edition from 1979 by Carlton Press. I have no idea what I am missing in this version from 1991, and I did not enjoy the three brief introductory pieces by Boynton Robinson, LaRouche and Zepp-LaRouche.

however the book reads more like a dissertation. Also, while the student of legal history during wars may find the long accounts of legal wrangling over the status of the CSS Florida when it entered foreign ports interesting many may find that stuff tedious. I know I did.

Having received a similiar book about the City of Talladega as a gift, I was anxious to purchase this book, as I lived in Childersburg and attended school there my entire life. I was somewhat disappointed when I received the book. Being a history buff, I expected more content concerning the past, but the book should literally be retitled "Childersburg, Images of the Mathis and Finn Families", as it is filled with umpteen photos of them. I realize the author worked hard on this book, but taking into consideration her father is a Mathis and her mother is a Finn, it turned out to be mostly a book about her family.

Rogers offers a look at the first capital of the Confederacy -albeit the capital for a mere handful of months. Rogers then expands focus on Montgomery for the remaining war years ('61-'65). Although Rogers presents the city of Montgomery as a "microcosm" of other Southern cities, I find Rogers offers little to defend his thesis. Except for its "15 minutes" as the capital, Montgomery, for the most part, largely escapes the ravages of other towns/cities/villages of the Deep South. I really found not much of a story to tell within these pages. Indeed there is only 156 pages of readable text!

This is a paperback that contains only part of Raphael Semmes memoirs. I would suggest getting the full book.

Fans can compare lists and agree or disagree; casual readers can get a good idea of what it must be like to be a FANatic by reading FANtastic. I have been to several college games, but am not a die hard fan of a single school. Tony's FANtastic made me feel like I belong to the Crimson Tide. Humorouse, light, enjoyable. A must for every Tide fan.