Washington Books

This is an excellent historical fiction story about four girls who help an elderly woman make a beautiful, unique quilt of roses. It is set in the late 1800s on the Long Beach Penninsua of Washington State on the Pacific coast. While the plot may sound boring, Patricia Beatty makes the act of quilt-making (not to mention the search for just the right fabric) come to life, much as Laura Ingalls Wilder tells of her childhood experiences.

This title was recommended by the Washington State Centennial Committee in 1989, and was quite popular with upper elementar students in this area at that time. For students who enjoy books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, but would like to explore a different part of the country, this title and the companion books, "Sarah and Me and the Lady from the Sea," and "The Nickel-Plated Beauty," are highly recommended.

This is an excellent historical fiction story about four girls who help an elderly woman make a beautiful, unique quilt of roses. It is set in the late 1800s on the Long Beach Penninsua of Washington State on the Pacific coast. While the plot may sound boring, Patricia Beatty makes the act of quilt-making (not to mention the search for just the right fabric) come to life, much as Laura Ingalls Wilder tells of her childhood experiences.

This title was recommended by the Washington State Centennial Committee in 1989, and was quite popular with upper elementar students in this area at that time. For students who enjoy books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, but would like to explore a different part of the country, this title and the companion books, "Sarah and Me and the Lady from the Sea," and "The Nickel-Plated Beauty," are highly recommended.

This is an excellent historical fiction story about four girls who help an elderly woman make a beautiful, unique quilt of roses. It is set in the late 1800s on the Long Beach Penninsua of Washington State on the Pacific coast. While the plot may sound boring, Patricia Beatty makes the act of quilt-making (not to mention the search for just the right fabric) come to life, much as Laura Ingalls Wilder tells of her childhood experiences.

This title was recommended by the Washington State Centennial Committee in 1989, and was quite popular with upper elementar students in this area at that time. For students who enjoy books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, but would like to explore a different part of the country, this title and the companion books, "Sarah and Me and the Lady from the Sea," and "The Nickel-Plated Beauty," are highly recommended.

I have read several Aaron Elkins books but this was the first involving Chris Norgren. Chris is a curator of Renaissance art at the Seattle Art Museum and goes to Paris to view a newly found Rembrandt that is being given to the museum by Rene Vachey. Rene is known in the field as a jokester and Chris is dubious as to the authenticity of the painting, especially with the limitations Rene has set on what can be used to verify the painting as being a Rembrandt.

Things heat up and get pretty hairy as Rene Vachey is killed and Chris becomes the next target for murder. Who knew that the art world was so dangerous?

If you love mysteries dealing with art then you will love this book. Chris Norgren is a curator for the Seattle Art Museum and he gets involved in some interesting adventures.

Pick up this book or one of the others in the series, I am sure you will agree with me that it is well worth your time. It is an interesting read.

Aaron Elkins wrote three books in the Chris Norgren series: "Old Scores", "A Deceptive Clarity" and "Glancing Light".

I wish Mr. Elkins would continue the series.

When eccentric art patron, Rene Vachey, decides to donate an original Rembrandt to the Seattle Art Museum, curator Chris Norgren is cautious. Rene is known for playing tricks on museums and making them look silly so Chris flies to France to inspect the painting. Shortly after he arrives, he is thrown out a window and later that night, Rene is murdered. Fearing that the painting may be the reason for the murder, Chris starts to investigate. I love this series because of the way that Aaron Elkins shows artwork through the eyes of Chris Norgren as well as for the good mystery.

This book is wonderful. There are places pointed out in this book that are not pointed out anywhere else. If you are going or live in DC please buy this book and use it as you walk around.

I LOVE THIS BOOK!! i love learning about the little trivia type things. And this one is full of them. Now I just want the same thing for other cities.

What a great book! It is refreshing to read a historical guide that doesn't take itself too seriously. On This Spot brings the sights and history to life for us transplated Washingtonians. While the book can be used as a walking tour guide, it can just as easily take you on a tour through history from your living room. Makes me feel like I am in Washington again!

First of all, this is more than a review about the book but also about the man Mr. Leeland. This book is the story of Mr. Leeland's son at a very young age, needing a marrow transplant, not only did the students at his school come together and help him out so did the whole community.... FROM THIS: Mr. Leeland has founded the Sparrow Clubs in schools around the country and has raised over $750,000 for "broken sparrows". . .and he believes in kids helping kids.

This book is not only inspirational for those who know cancer, and sickness, but for those of us who never dealt with that issue this book is VERY inspiring . . . and very full of hope and love. Mr.Leeland writes a easy to read, human, full of true feeling and very much full of his insight, and HUGE AMAZING heart. I recommend this book to anyone!!!!! Do yourself a favor, read about GOOD people doing GOOD things....

What do you do when you've just moved to a new school and a new job and your 6-month old baby is diagnosed with leukemia? What do you do when the operation costs $205,000 and the insurance company won't pay for it? This is the story of the Leelands, a Christian family who goes through a nightmare, and of the junior high school and community that reaches out to them to save the life of one small sparrow.

I was reviewing this book while creating a library for our middle school. It caught my attention immediately, as one of my former students has leukemia. As I read it, I began to understand the terrible struggle that my student and his family were going through. And I was touched by the honest description of the Leeland's ups and downs, by the sacrifices made by the kids in Kamiaken Junior High, and by the faith the Leelands showed in a God who sustained them as they went though this tragedy.

I was one of the students that attended Kamiakin Junior High when the Leelands went through their test of faith. This book accurately depicts the real life events that surrounded the events leading to the life saving bone-marrow transplant of Michael Leeland. It is refreshing to hear about a community pulling together and turning a desparate situation into one filled with pure hope and faith. Read this book if you ever feel there is something you can't accomplish in life@

Could it be that, just when you thought there was nothing new under the literary sun, Richard Peabody has quietly invented a new genre? Open Joints on Bridge (one of the more intriguing titles to ever see print) is more and other than a collection of very short stories: It is a "poella." Each story has the evocative and titillating precision of poetry. As with films that are so rich in plot, character, dialogue, and visual splendor that they continue to reward on repeated viewings, this jewel of a book invites itself to be read repeatedly. "Dale was the tall brunette in the man's tweed who drank Myer's rum at whatever poetry reading you happened to attend. Shenendoah's pride. Groomed at Sweet Briar, Hood, or Hollins. The kind of woman who'd laugh knowingly when Natalie Barney's name croped up in conversation, while other women laughed nervously." "But as Jesus' stack of beer cups more and more resenbled a handheld Tower of Pisa, and as the girl seemed to giggle and warm to everything he said, it became clear to both Carlos and me that something had to give." "And with the faint grin displayed from any a dust jacket photo, he walked away..." These stories agitate you to return again and again to puzzle over why a particular handful of words are causing such a delightful disturbance in your mind.

This is an excellent collection of quirky short stories; it has wit, humor and intelligence. Peabody has a great eye for the nuances of family and romantic relationships.

Struggling artists, acid heads, sports fans...this collection of 20 shorts offers something for everyone. Set mostly in Washington, D.C., Peabody's tight prose shows us the city that lies underneath the marble veneer in a humorous and often touching way.

Own this book if you love to take road trips in Oregon. Take it with you everywhere, because there is so much to learn just by looking and reading about a place you never thought about!


This book is such a treasure. You can spend hours looking through it all. Its a wonderful database for places in Oregon you may not be able to read about online. Buy this if you research genealogy in Oregon. Very helpful to identify census localities etc.

McArthur's Oregon Geographic Names is the definitive "all you need to know about Oregon" text. The author spends some 500 or so pages describing towns from Alsea to Zigzag. His details include a mix of pioneer history and native lore. What emerges is a singular and often unknown view of Oregon.

As a student of history, this text provides the "little" details that a larger view of history might neglect to tell. For instance, in discussing the origins of the Willamette river name, McArthur explores the first use of the word in local newspapers, and also calls on linguistic records in order to discover its first use. What the reader discovers here, and it is representative of most of the text, is that McArthur digs deep into the archives by following all available paper trials.

As a student of history, and of Oregon in general, this book is indispensable. I suspect too that it could be used by the "Cliff Clavens" of the world as a way of distributing "little known facts" about Oregon at parties.

Bryan Hiatt, Humanities Department Chemeketa Community College Salem, OR

McArthur's Oregon Geographic Names is the definitive "all you need to know about Oregon" text. The author spends some 500 or so pages describing towns from Alsea to Zigzag. His details include a mix of pioneer history and native lore. What emerges is a singular and often unknown view of Oregon.

As a student of history, this text provides the "little" details that a larger view of history might neglect to tell. For instance, in discussing the origins of the Willamette river name, McArthur explores the first use of the word in local newspapers, and also calls on linguistic records in order to discover its first use. What the reader discovers here, and it is representative of most of the text, is that McArthur digs deep into the archives by following all available paper trials.

As a student of history, and of Oregon in general, this book is indispensable. I suspect too that it could be used by the "Cliff Clavens" of the world as a way of distributing "little known facts" about Oregon at parties.

Bryan Hiatt, Humanities Department, Chemeketa Community College, Salem OR

Having been someone who has always loved to cook and dreamed of being a cook, this book was one I could relate to. Gillian tells the tale of how she changed her life. A very inspiring story for any woman in any field. The recipes are a great addition to this memoir.

An amazing story about a woman's determination to be who she always knew she was: a great chef. Honest and inspirational, especially to those struggling against great odds, as she was. And the extra bonus is that she shares some of the recipes that came out of her journey: Ive made several and they are good! A sobering but hopeful tale for the aspiring chef in your life; especially any young woman who is interested in a first hand account of the trade offs necessary with family and a career in food.

This book is fabulous. I could not put it down. An accomplished chef that can write and tell an entertaining story. How many of those are around? The recipes are easy to follow. I skipped them on my first read and then went back and tried the ones I thought I could do. And they work. I got my family around the table and even though it was only fifteen minutes. There was no TV and no cell phones. I think this book is more powerful than Clark knows. Good food and family...spread it around.

I like how this couple presents their information. The book is full of useful data. I have purchased this in preparation for our journey to Alaska, British Columbia, Yukon and Northwest Territories. It does a superb job of helping you understand what to look for, where to look for it, how much things cost relative to other areas. Excellent job.

Having lived in the Pacific NW for many years I know lots of places for camping and RVing. I found this book accurate and very resourcefull. With rising fuel prices, we are all looking for closer to home places to "get away" and this book is a required resource to help find them, and determine their suitability. The only criticism I have is the way its organized. A little hard to find individual places since it is organized based on tour routes.

I bough thtis with the MOON bok, and am using both of them , this one is helpful with trip ideas, and the best of the large campgrounds, a very usefull book.

As the other reviewers have stated, it is an insightful book depicting the day-to-day existence of civilians suddenly thrust into the role of unlikely heroes and now called Sailors. That makes it unique from other military type books. Fahey enlisted in 1942 as did most of his shipmates aboard the USS Montpelier, not 1945 as the book news editorial review mis-stated. Secondly, the USS Montpelier was a Light Cruiser, not a Heavy Cruiser as one reviewer indicated. It was capable of traveling at speeds in excess of 30 knots which is why it served as the Admiral's flagship. Light Cruisers had nearly the fire power of Heavy Cruiser and nearly the speed of a destroyer which made it a highly versatile ship. It is likely that no other ship anywhere in Naval history has ever been in as much "action" as the Montpelier. Some called it the luckiest ship in the US Navy. If Fahey and his mates had not survived, this book would not exist and I would never have been born. In an ironic note, USS Montpelier was sold to the Japanese as scrap steel many years after the war. Currently there still is a USS Montpelier in the US Navy. The new vessel, which proudly bears this name, is a submarine.

This book realy tells it how it was for sailors of the U.S. Navy during WWII in the Pacific theatre. Fahey kept a diary of his daily experiences on board a heavy cruiser. All the little mundane details of life are revealed, which is what distinguishes this book from the "formal" history books. No student of history should miss this book.

This is a fascinating book. Written by a young man who joined the navy in 1942 and served through 1945 out in the Pacific aboard the light cruiser "Montpielier" Fahey is neither a career sailor, or a writer. But he accomplishes an amazing thing; that is transporting the reader to the author's time and place, and making you feel as if you are there, day by day. It's delightfully simple and fresh.

For anyone who is interested in WW2 naval history, this is a highly recommended companion to all the more formal works concerned with the great events and famous people involved. It really rounds out your perspective of what it was really like.

It also makes you appreciate the sacrifices made by this generation of Americans who left the safety of home to fight against evil in far away places.

This is a great activity guide to Seattle from the point of view not only of a Dad, but of the Dad and his daughter [now five] and with a range of activities for tiny through teenage kids. It's not only for whole families, but for Dads and Mothers alone with a child or children on an excursion. It's enticing and reassuring at the same time -- so that, for example, a grandmother [myself] can imagine exploring new places with her grandchildren in a spirit of confidence. There are many helpful hints and asides along the way. And there are a few places most long-time residents probably have never heard of. Certainly even those with no children at home will find it helpful when out-of-town guests with kids come to stay. The Guide also includes some pedagogical suggestions, such as the one on preparing your little one(s) for an hour or two at an art museum. Buy, read and reap the rewards. I'd be glad if Hobson would start scouting out some other Pacific Northwest cities. Vancouver B.C., Mr. Hobson?

Every parent knows that before one can call a vacation "successful," the kids have to be happy about it. Before heading out of town, what's the first thing a wise parent does? She calls her good friend who either A) lives in the city she's visiting, or B) vacationed there last year. We all need a little advice on where to eat, what to do for fun, what to avoid. The problem is, we don't always have a friend handy in our chosen destination. Well now we all have a friend in Seattle, and his name is Tom.

Tom Hobson's book, "A Parent's Guide to Seattle," is frank and humourous, and packed with information not every friend has at his fingertips. You'll find tips on restaurants, funky stores and educational opportunities, as well as maps, historical facts and ticket prices. It's a full-service guide obviously written by a true fan of Seattle, and someone who treasures it's unique offerings.

Whether you're visiting Seattle for the first time, are a new Seattle-area resident, or a native looking for some diversions, you'll enjoy Tom Hobson's book. And we can all use another friend.

A REVIEW FROM A MOTHER OF 4 CHILDREN (ages 4 months to 13 years) - - - That should add credibility!

What a fun book!!! Definitely a "must have" for visiting families and a wonderful opportunity for Seattle residents to re-visit their beautiful city through the eyes of a child.

Unlike other guide books, A Parent's Guide to Seattle is not just a directory listing of all the places to go and things to see in Seattle. Mr. Hobson has hand-selected his favorite Seattle destinations and his thorough descriptions will arm busy parents with enough fun facts and background information to make the most of every visit.

It is obvious that Mr. Hobson's selections are based on real-life experiences with children and an ear to his own "inner child". The result is a book filled with recommendations that will appeal to both children and parents alike.