Dunne Books

While Wonderdog is a fast an easy read, Inman Majors gives glimpses of his complex understanding of the English language. Between laughing out loud at the antics of Dev Degraw, I found myself re-reading several areas in which Majors shows off his talents as a true wordsmith. Thanks for a really enjoyable book! I am looking forward to more.

The humor of this book is quick and intelligent. "At this point the basement smells like a subtle mixture of dead man's toes, cheese fondue, and a barrelful of monkey ear wax set aflame." Highly recommend this book. Would make a great gift for hipper fathers. Reminds me of some of the old Burt Reynold's comedies...but better. Would transfer to the screen successfully. Jason Bateman as Dev.

As everyone seems to agree, one only need read about twenty pages into the book to realize that Inman Majors has an excellent grasp on the English language. On top of that, he has a very clever wit, as does his protagonist here, Dev Degraw. The entire book is filled with his cynical, circumlocutory humor--it literally never stops.
The end result is a 'loser lit' tale that reads like an extremely long series of consecutive, self-deprecating wisecracks on Degraw's situation. The book does indeed contain many hilarious moments, but alas, they are nothing more than momentary. The witty, eloquent cynicism first comes as a fun, promising read, but eventually forces you to strain your eyes as you try to see the story beneath the language. This gets old very quickly.
The story underneath--and, in my opinion, the book in general--could have been much better. Had the quality of the plot equalled the quality of the writing, this book would have easily recieved five stars, but as it fails in the latter department, I must rate it a 3/5.

I decided to read Wonderdog because Inman Majors was featured at my local library's Southern Voices Conference, but to be honest my expectations had been set pretty low by the lackluster review of the book. I was so surprised to find myself enjoying this book enormously! I did recall a couple of Walker Percy characters, and the comparison to Confederacy of Dunces was appropriate...but this book treaded the difficult waters of staying humorous and intelligent but not resorting all the way to "loser lit"... it did not evoke sadness like some of those books did, and I found myself laughing more than I ever do when reading a novel. The author's use of language was a huge asset to the book -- I am usually turned off when authors seem to be trying to impress with an abundance of "big words" -- THIS author, however, constructed some of the funniest sentences I have read in recent years. The characters who were no more than cardboard thick were still funny in their placement in the story. I couldn't recommend this book more! I am looking forward to reading more by this southern author.

At last, the American writer who appreciates Ralph Malph as the American writer should of the humor!

This is story of governor-elect (in the matter of insanity) Dev Degraw and four dogs, the wiener dogs of torment meeting the eerie parallel of the (late, great) Thor (now fetching Pa in heaven!) and his not-pale imitative descendent, Comet, who may be the title dog.

I quote "may be" title dog, for is Dev Degraw not the symbolic title dog of himself? Why the D here, and why the D there? Perhaps Dev's name should be Dog Dog to make Biminim's d-light complete?

For Dev is a dog as surely as man is a dog and as surely as Inman Majors is genius!

Must not man be dog to run for the Head of the Heart of Dixie? Can you not see George Wallace as wiener dog #1 and Fob James as wiener dog #2?

All hail again Inman Majors (I.M. yall), and may you not fill your threesome with Bunny Akins and Odelle Bailey!

Pete Dunne is Editor of "New Jersey Audubon Magazine" and one of the top birders in the country. He writes wonderful short pieces for many publications and is the author of several excellent books on birding.

Pishing is easy to learn: purse your lips and make hissing "p" sounds. Dunne includes a useful CD. I used a small digital recorder and compared my sounds with the sounds of a master birder. With an additional bit of help from Shakespeare described below, my own pishing became much more effective.

It's not clear why pishing works. Dunne believes it arouses the natural curiosity of birds. It works better when birds are migrating, and better with certain types of birds, especially smaller ones. Chickadees, warblers, sparrows, nuthatches, robins and thrushes are particularly attracted in our area.

He writes about the origin of pishing: "What natural sound does 'Psssh' imitate? ... [I]f I had to guess, and since I've backed myself into this etymological corner I guess I do, I'd say that 'pish' or 'psssh' most closely resembles the raspy, rising scold of the Tufted Titmouse...."

Dunne believes that since Tufted Titmice are very curious, attracted to people and love to mob (or collect in large groups), people would have noticed them. Also, they are forest birds, where birds are harder to see, so people would try tricks to attract birds. Finally, since the technique works better in the northeast that in other parts of the country, it probably began with birders in the northeast forests trying to attract the Tufted Titmouse flocks.

(I personally wonder if titmice use "pish" to convey contempt, impatience, or disgust. Shakespeare used the word that way in "Henry V":

Nymph: "Pish."

Pistoll: "Pish for thee, Island dogge: thou prickeard cur of Island."

One thing is for sure: since I've read Dunne's book and remember the Nymph and Pistoll, my pishing seems to attract more birds.)

In this, as in all his writings, Dunne is clear, funny and very helpful.

*****

PS: Dunne was nice enough to respond to my email of my review: "Loved your review and your thoughts. St. Francis is still the world's first pisher. I never thought of W. Shak. as an understudy."

Robert C. Ross 2008

I found this book to be interesting, but to execute the sounds that Dunne does is to say the least very difficult. Still over all I liked the book.

I bought this item with the Birds, Birds, Birds! An Indoor Birdwatching Field Trip DVD Video Bird and Bird Song Guide for an extreme bird-watching friend of mine who was recovering from surgery.

He reported that in all of his bird book collecting and years of bird study he found new information and great enjoyment from this item.

The Art of Pishing is an excellent source for learning how to attract birds by mimicking their alert/alarm calls. The humor in the book is a delightful surprise and kept me reading for the next one-liner. At the same time the author clearly explains how to "pish". If that's not enough the CD that comes with the book provides a complete series of lessons on how to make pishing noises. Excellent book!

Pete Dunne teaches us how to Pish in this Book - I have seen many people pishing, but Pete refines the Art. It is funny, helpful, and historical. It is a useful tool and good reading. In addition, you get a CD you can listen too. It is a funny, pertinent, intelligent discussion of Pishing. Driving during one birding expedition, I played it for my birding group. The Group was thoroughly entertained and we got a lot of good laughs in the process; Pete Dunne is a good entertainer.

How I wish Jody Jaffe would continue her series with Natty Gold, the Charlotte, NC, fashion writer who is an amateur sleuth and show rider. The characters are well defined, the horse show knowledge is unsurpassed and the mysteries are believable, taking place in accurately-researched settings. Interestingly, the killers in all three books are female, proving that women are up to the task of evil too. In this book, I have a slight nit to pick, and hate to even suggest anything but a 'clear round.' However, the loose ends nagged at me: Natty's Asheville, NC, hotel room is trashed, while the real culprit is more than three hours away from the scene at the time and no other potential trashers are in evidence. Then in the same chapter, Nattie is at an outdoor wedding, also in Asheville, where she is shot at, yes real bullets go whizzing by her head. Again, the real culprit is miles away, and no one else with motive, real or imagined, is anywhere nearby. In both instances, Natty simply goes on and never refers to either incident again, at all. Nerves of steel maybe, but for one so curious, she spends no time trying to find out who wanted her scared, dead or both. Neither event is resolved in any way. I am assuming Ms Jaffe's editors did her no favors in this chapter and did not bother to read before or ahead for the sake of sense. But I still hope Ms Jaffe will revive the series. Three books should be just the beginning!

I love Jody's books. And they get better and better! I am at the point now where I ration out each chapter so I do not finish the book too soon. Jody has the horse world society nailed. Anyone who is a horse person will say: Is she spying on me or what? Bring on the next book, please! (and put more chapters in it)

I am Ben Shepard, son of Jody Jaffe. Aside from being a great mother, she is a fantastic writer in all genres. After being raised by her for my 14 years on this rotating ball of gas and water, I have realized recently that she is in need of support for her mystery writing career. Write to her at JodyJaffe@Aol.com. Please tell your friends and co-workers about this suburb book written by a exellent mommie. (P.S) (I am chet(and am totally unlike him)

Jody has again produced a delightful tale. Her characters are interesting and three dimensional. The story she tells keeps me turning pages and staying up too late at night because I can't put the book down. Great job Jody! I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, especially if they have any connections to, or a love for horses.

Jody Jaffe's latest hunter/jumper mystery is one of the best books I've read. It's description of the hunter/jumper A circuit is dead on, the end is suprising and satisfying and it had me chuckling throughout. As a teen competing on the A circuit I can identify with Ashlee's life and struggles. A fabulous book.

This book is a very interesting book, I usually don't read mystery, but I found myself reading through it, unable to put it down for long. The plot is appropriatly suspensful, not letting you know what was really going on until near the end. The romantic subplot going on through out the story was not over done to the point where you forgot that the story was a mystery and not a romance.

If this writer were to write more books I would probably not hesitate to buy them, despite not being a fan of the genre.

This book is so good that I finished it in one sitting. There is not one wasted word and I was in for a thrilling ride once I started. The mystery is taut, intense and captivating, the entangled romance sensitive and touching. The hero, Kyle, with a weak heart, is immensely likable and well potrayed. It is a rarity that a character could stand up so well in short mystery novel but Kyle does. Kyle finally accepting the loss of his father and the revelation of a half brother he would never have a chance to acknowledge gives a touch of melancholy to the story. Definitely one of my favourites.

Colin Dunne cleverly blends a painting's subject with the story of some gay friends and the story of a missing artist (and his missing painting). The resulting tale always intrigues, with a focus on strong dialogue and character development. You don't have to be gay to enjoy this book. Nor do you have to like mystery novels. Just the characters and conflicts that start the novel would have kept my attention, but the added dimension of the murder and the painting made me read quickly to the surprising twists of the novel's closing chapters.

This story fascinated me from beginning to end. Colin Dunne's elegant, lyrical yet dialogue-driven style -- no word wasted -- fits the subject...so do the setting and the choice of 'gay protagonists.' Using the 'first person' voice is a classic method of suspense writing...Dunne makes it look easy. The mystery puzzles, the romantic element heightens the excitement, and the cast entertains. Well done!

I found this book to be immensely well-written, with plausible characters (if implausible names), a plausible story-line, and thoroughly enjoyable. I'm a great fan of murder mysteries and this book is as good as the best of its type. It isn't a 'police procedural' however, like so many recent muder novels. It's more a delving into the minds of a very closed community, an examination of motives, desires, and personas.

It is, in fact, very "Agatha Christie".

Well worth reading.

Great book detailing the life and times of a foreign correspondent for various news networks. Tells of Fletcher's rise through the ranks from junior subeditor at BBC London to his dream job of leading his own crew as producer for NBC. Martin tells of his victories and defeats while chasing the worlds best news stories, covering some of the worst attrocities in modern history.

This is a very exciting and informative look into the world of foreign correspondents or "combat journalism." I couldn't put this book down until it was finished. I just wish I could fiond more books like this!

GET THIS BOOK!! GREAT READ!!

I want to just add to the 5 star reviews. As a moderate I was pleasantly surprised by how balanced this book was. The author clearly struggled with his feelings and never acted superior. As you get deeper into the book it becomes as riveting as any book I can recall. Very highly recommended.

It would be tempting to label this book for those whose interests lie in journalism or history or world affairs. The truth is one doesn't have to have a background--or a future--in any of those things. This book is about our shared humanity. While Martin helped me understand how, when, and why conflicts erupted in certain parts of the world, and while I appreciated the dangers he faced in all corners of the globe, along with his incredible bravery or stupidity (sometimes both), I was touched most deeply by the stories of people simply trying to live their quiet lives. Racial, ethnic, and tribal differences don't exist inside the heart of a parent trying to save his child. The blood spilled is the same color whether it's shed by innocents caught in crossfire or determined young men who blow themselves up in the name of their beliefs. Martin's own journey from callous young reporter bent on scooping the competition, to a father who now struggles with the pain and suffering that come with the job, was the real story for me. He has spent a lifetime opening our eyes so we can't pretend not to know, only to have to close his own when his heart can carry no more.

I couldn't put this book down, and read it in one day. Martin Fletcher takes you where most reporters won't go, or can't go. You'll read of the intense competition between the networks, and what ranks as "go" or "no-go" story; which amounts to the number of people dying or killed as being newsworthy.

Stories of fellow journalists who are killed and wounded (including his own first-person account), in attempts to bring the stories of war and its victims to our television screens. How Fletcher identifies with the suffering of the victims of war in Somalia and the "Ethnic-Cleansing" of the conflicts in Rwanda and Kosovo; with his own family's suffering in The Holocaust.

From the Arab-Israeli Wars to the present Palestinian struggle, to personal interviews with a warlord, suicide bombers and refugees (one very touching story of a young girl). There'll be stories that will make you laugh, cry, and some that will anger you. But they are all presented within a very personal and moving context that almost makes you feel as if you're right there, experiencing Fletcher's witness of history in the making. And that indeed, this is a very dangerous and evil world in which
live.

An amazing, POWERFUL, insight into the world of Martin Fletcher. I read the book in two sittings, four days ago, and I am still thinking about it. He tells his story in a 'mostly' chronological order, leaving me breathless at the end. It's an incredible journey and I am so thankful he took the time to tell it!

If Nights Could Talk is a good memoir. Marsha Recknagel describes her past and present with honesty and humor.

I could not put this book down. Not only does the story keep you on the edge of your seat, but the author tells it with such grace and eloquence.

I respect the opinion of the reviewer who said that Recknagel's book was not his or her "cup of tea," but I don't understand how one could criticize Recknagel for belaboring her own suffering. This book is a brilliant and poignant account of one woman's struggle to create/recreate a family, and the suffering that she endures while accomplishing this anchor the memoir in reality. I felt, contrary to the other reviewer, that Recknagel was amazingly self-aware of her own insecurties, vulnerabilties, and subjectivity. Would the story have been better if Recknagel left out the gritty and painful details? Surely not. There's a reason why this book has been as highly recommended as it has: it presents a realistic struggle-- with all of its complications.

I found the book captivating. I know the courage Marsha must have to write these Memoirs. I am so proud to have known the little girl and now the adult woman. Her sister Gail should be praised for rescuing Jamie.I could not close the book until the last page.
I ran the full spectrum of emotions-- loved the book. The telling of the story carries you forward with the need to know more. I hated for the story to end. I am so proud of you Marsha......And Gail, she knows why.

I had the wonderful pleasure of having Marsha for my creative writing instructor several semesters ago when she first sent this book off for publishing. I have been in great anticipation of it since then and it did not let me down! Having known Marsha personally and some of her story, her word was every bit as moving and powerful in her written accounts and packs even more of a punch at her readings of this book. A tearjerker for sure, it will inspire you to read to the last page when at last you sigh and have to put it down, ready to rest.

This is essentially a mother-daughter story, but it is also so much more. The book challenges what we think of faith, of relationships, of life itself. I was hooked from the first page, and although I have read several books since reading this one, I am still thinking of the characters and their story. Having grown up in Austria, 20 years after the war made this an especially poignant read for me. It made me wonder about all those friendly grandfathers I met growing up. Who were they during the war?

I know the author's first novel and that's why I started to read this - her second.
As I had expected, I've already been attracted by the story though I'm yet only half way. I especially like the description of a father and a very young daughter relationship at the beginning which easily reminds us of our own similar happy childhood with our father. Elegant, refined still very serious is my first impression of this novel. Besides, the English of this novel is not so hard for non-English speakers like me.
I can't wait to see what will be happening to this family. I'll go on reading as fast as I can. "I'll be back" here when I'm finished with it.

A Japanese reader in Japan!!

In what unforeseen manners does a catastrophic event, now years past, continue to define a family's identity? Is it best for a parent to forget a troubled past and shield her child from anguish or to assist the child in confronting something that could upset, alter or even destroy a parent-child relationship? To what extent is the past never "the past," but a continuous, immediate presence in our daily lives? Margaret McMullan has attempted to answer these questions in her strong, sensitive and essential novel, "In My Mother's House," a profound examination of the Holocaust on the second and third generation of survivors. McMullan explores the Holocaust's resonant hurt and answers its unspoken questions through Elizabeth and her mother Jenny, the latter bent on denial and silence, the former wrestling with existential confusion, a tormented relationship with her mother and an unresolved identity.

"In My Mother's House" is permeated with what memoirist Fern Schumer Chapman, author of "Motherland," concisely labels "the half-life of the Holocaust:" its silent, subtle and surreptitious grip on the children of survivors. Jenny is a child escapee and daughter of an aloof, imperious Jewish father who converted to Catholicism as an adult and repudiated his ancestral heritage. Now an assimilated American, she has produced a sensitive, questioning daughter who feels incomplete and adrift because of her lack of knowledge of her mother's past. Elizabeth describes herself "immersed in death and memory," but her self-definition accurately depicts her mother.

Mother and daughter face the vexing issues survivors and their children necessarily confront if there is to be any hope of family coherence and personal mental health. Abandonment and denial. Self-eradication and the legacy of loss. Displacement and return. Memory and connection. As Elizabeth presses her mother for a full disclosure of the past and as Jenny steadfastly rebuffs her daughter's attempts to explore what the mother has walled off, both women risk having their hearts "tighten up" as though they were "hardened candy."

At the onset of the novel, Elizabeth is unaware of her mother's past, presumably content with her present status as an American Catholic, newly relocated from Mississippi to Chicago's North Shore. "My mother never spoke of the past." The child Elizabeth is aware that members of her family perished during World War II, but she "had to figure `the war' out on" her own. Not illogically, she concludes that the "death camps were for Catholics, not Jews."

While Jenny consciously obliterates any mention of the past, constructing an icy distance from her estranged father and, by inference, her family's past, Elizabeth unconsciously replicates her mother's pattern. When her great grandmother regularly sends her pieces of tarnished silverware, the child hides them under her bed in a box, next to her grandfather's discarded autobiography, "which lies facedown...an arm's reach away." The dulled family heirlooms come to symbolize an obscured, painful history, too ugly to use but too precious to discard.

During Elizabeth's adolescence, her mother's obdurate silence crystallizes into an emphatic declaration: "I swore no more questions about the past...about what was dead and gone." Already conscious about her family's differences from their affluent, assimilated Midwestern neighbors, Elizabeth determines "that I would never ask another question about what was dead and gone." Her fear is that her "mother's past would run our little family." Yet denied history does not disappear, and as Elizabeth matures into adulthood, her unresolved appetite for historical authenticity gnaws at her; her resultant anorexia causes her body to disappear but her hunger for truth to grow.

Margaret McMullen's compassionate portrayal of Elizabeth's quest for identity resolves the question of an unresolved past, one which has poisoned Jenny's relationship with her father, one which has fractured her deep but injurious love for Elizabeth and one which has made Elizabeth incapable of giving and receiving love. Elizabeth's decision to seek out her Jewish roots matches her mother's commitment to eradicate them. Both derive from ruined history, denial and the consequences of self-eradication.

Increasingly, as the living voices of survivors become fewer in number, we will come to depend on their children to assist us in understanding the implications of the Holocaust. "In My Mother's House" illuminates the pivotal issue of identity formation in the shadow of the Holocaust through a mother-daughter relationship. Both Jenny and Elizabeth face each other and their distinct, but intertwined, histories. They come to grips with their own emotional landscape of exile, recrimination and separation, and in so doing, the two try to navigate their way out of diaspora.

Margaret McMullan has invested emotion and authenticity in her story - a story of a family's connection to its past; guarded secrets, religious convictions, resentment and finally understanding. We hear ancestors speaking to their descendants throughout the story, revealing the joys and disappointments of life that ultimately become the inheritance of a mother and daughter.

"In My Mother's House" takes the reader on a journey that begins at the family's rich and abundant ancestral home in Vienna at the start of World War II. Along the way, the family's memories of escape and survival, separation and confluence are illuminated for the reader.

The richness of a life left behind in Austria is contrasted sharply with the less meaningful, modern-day life of a daughter who is determined to learn of her mother's past so as to make sense of the present.

McMullan's historical fiction is compelling as it draws upon the darkest days of the Holocaust, lost religious traditions and the smells and sounds of Vienna in the 1930s - a time and place lost forever.

I am a voracious reader always on the lookout for a good new (to me) author. Margaret McMullan is that. This latest novel of hers is a haunting, evocative story of a mother and daughter (told from alternating viewpoints, a tactic that works very well here) seeking connectedness after a lifetime of polite estrangement. As the story unfolds, we see why Jenny has become who she is as a mother. Her story unfolds from 1930's Austria to current day America. Ms McMullan's descriptions of 1930's Austria as war encroaches on an unsuspecting people, are so vivid that you can smell the air and hear the music. And by the end of the book, you will come to care about Jenny and Elizabeth greatly and come to understand a lot about love, loss, and especially, hope.

If you like female detectives you must read the Kat Colorado series. They keep you guessing till the very end. Great story! I can see why this book won an award..

First book in the Kat Colorado series. Sacramento-based Investigator Kat Colorado tries to help her good friend Charity, who is going through a messy divorce. Charity suspects that her husband Sam has siphoned off $200,000 of their money and hidden it somewhere in an investment scheme in Las Vegas.

Kat goes to Las Vegas and meets an old friend from her youth who appears to be connected with some seamy characters in Las Vegas. She also meets a hunky copy named "Hank", although she frequently has a Freudian slip and calls him "Hunk". (Hopefully we will see more of "Hank the Hunk" in future books in this series!) This book has lots of laughs in it! Kat Colorado is a strong (and funny!)female protagonist who reminds me of Kinsey Millhone and Stephanie Plum. I can't wait to read the other books in this series!

Loved this book. Very reminiscent of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone series or even Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plumb.

Kat Colorado is a private investigator looking into her best friend's soon to be ex-husband's financial dealings in Las Vegas. In typical "girl in over her head" style, she bites off way more than she can chew and lands herself in the middle of a mystery involving casino skimming, real estate pyramid scams, and even murder.

Luckily, Kat is a take care of herself kind of girl and usually manages to land on her feet. But it certainly doesn't hurt the storyline when she meets up with local cop, Hank (or is it Hunk?)

Can't wait to read the next in the series

I quite enjoyed reading this short, fast paced mystery introducing Kat Colorado, a female Sacramento PI.

Kijewski has defended setting her series in Sacramento, and I was quite interested in reading a book set in a smaller Californian city, but in fact Kat's debut case takes her off to Las Vegas in pursuit of a friend's no-good husband. As befits a mystery, things soon take a more murderous turn.

I liked the main character and was carried along by the energy of the narrative, though I think Kat does some rather silly things along the way. I will read more in the series.

After reading 6 of the 8 Kat colorado Novels I can honestly review them.


Kat Colorado is a former Bartender turned private Investigator in Sacramento CA. Like Many Mystery or suspense Protagonists she has a troubled past which she seems to wear like a badge of honor with her don't mess with me attitude. Surronded by quirky friends and hangers-on Like Alma her adoptive grandmother or Rafe her sort of cousin brother friend or Bill Henley her cop friend. But Katwalk Involves her best friend Charity and advice columnist who life is more troubled than her readers. When Charity's Husband Sam runs off to Vegas with $200,000 She asks Kat to Find out why. and Kat finds a plot in which Sam has got himself Involved and Kat Can't Leave well enough alone. SO begins a Recurring theme in the Kat Colorado Novels..... Kat finds a Plot, Kat sticks her nose in deep, Kat gets hurt, then Kat solves mystery usually picking up a new Hanger on... this time Hank(whom she called Hunk in a Fruedian slip when they first met) Katwalk Is a fun and easy read.. but the Usual mystery cliche's appear. but doesn't detract from the fun.

This is a very fun read. I enjoyed the information in the book as well as just a chuckle from time to time.

Never judge a book by its cover is so true of titles and the characters in this book untill you get to know them. Barbara Samuels writes a wonderful story about people you really care about and want to know better.

One of Samuel's best. This book made me laugh out loud and cry, the need a box of Kleenex, don't try reading on the elliptical kind of cry. I read it on one day and immediately wanted to read it again. The realness of the characters amazed me. I felt like I knew these people. I loved this book!

This fast-paced novel takes mother and daughter, Eldora and India, down Route 66 in search of India's schizophrenic twin sister, Gypsy. India is not pleased to leave her work and long distance lover, Jack, to take her mother on a road trip down memory lane in her mother's cherished 1957 Thunderbird. But she promised her father before his death that she would take care of her mother, and so she agrees to the trip hoping that the time on the road will help her to reconcile issues in her own life and also to help her make the most important decision of her life. Eldora, who has been living with the regrets and mistakes she made many, many years ago, wants to make peace with one daughter as she searches for the other one. Eldora is faced with revealing her true self to India and in the process risks losing her daughter forever. Both India and Eldora each tell their own story as they travel the same fateful route they took several years ago and try to reconcile their past to their present and dare to hope for a future but ultimately discover that in life and love there are no guarantees.

***** I thoroughly enjoyed Barbara Samuel's heartwarming story of a mother and daughter who both dare to risk their current tolerable relationship for a chance to really understand one another. The realness of these two characters makes the reader feel deeply connected with what both India and Eldora are facing. This novel needs to be a movie because India and Eldora's stories would be wonderful played out on the big screen. I highly recommend taking this real and endearing and ultimately hopeful journey with India and Eldora along Route 66. *****

Reviewed by Barbara Stabler.

I'm always so impressed with Barbara Samuel's novels, and Lady Luck's Map of Vegas is no exception. Samuel, who lives in Colorado, writes about women in the western United States who may have had family problems, but resolve them, or find a way to live with them, by the end of the books. I checked out her website at www.barbarasamuel.com, and she has also written a number of romances, some under the name Ruth Wind. But her women's novels are the ones that impress me - No Place Like Home, A Piece of Heaven, The Goddesses of Kitchen Avenue, and, now Lady Luck's Map of Vegas.

Forty-year-old India is a successful web designer with a large circle of friends. She also has an Irish lover that she sees monthly, Eldora, her widowed mother who can be demanding, and a schizophrenic twin sister who disappers into the unknown periodically. And, she's pregnant.

When India's mother wants to take Route 66 from Colorado Springs to Las Vegas, she reluctantly agrees to accompany her, fleeing the truth and her own doubts about her pregnancy. As they hunt for Gypsy, India's sister, along the route, Eldora reaches into her own past to reveal secrets she has covered up about her life.

Once again, Barbara Samuel has written of two women coming to terms with the results of their own actions. It's a strong, beautiful novel.

Don't let the title fool you, this is more a book about a love of travel, exploration, Ireland and the woman he "didn't know would be his wife" than about Guiness. McHugh captured the places and the people of Ireland and revealed a good bit about himself in the process. I'm pretty sure he is the sort of person one would like to share a pint with.

This book would appeal to the young person who has the time and a little money to tour Ireland staying at hostels and trying out pubs. It's a fun book to read and you do learn a little about Ireland too.

Have yourself a Guinness while reading this book, it is a great pairing. The book is a smooth read and will inspire you to by the "mothers milk".
It's a craic in itself. luis

This book was fun, interesting and very well written. To read a book about Ireland that does not have the troubles as its main subject matter is refreshing. The author does a great job of relating Irish culture to the reader. The author even goes as far as to write the peoples dialects into the book, so that when you are reading the book, you can get a sense of the softness of the language.

I would recommend this title to anyone that wants to learn a bit about Ireland. I would especially recommend this to all those of Irish decent.

The subtitle of this book tells you what this Irish travel book is all about. And that is what drew me to it.

Contents:
The first round
Dublin on tap
Beer and politics
Blood is thicker than Guinness
Love at first pint
Pub town
Heading north
The holy mountain
A land of pubs and poets
Last drinks

Australian, Evan McHugh, travels to Ireland to meet some friends. On the ferry over to Dublin from Wales, he and his travelling companion "Twidkiwodm" (the-woman-I-didn't-know-I-would-one-day-marry), aka Michelle, have their first Guinness. It was not a very good experience (but it sure was funny to read). Debarking, they are told that the Guinness served on the ferry is about the worst in the world. Their friends take them to a couple of pubs in Dublin, including the Guinness Factory Tour. Whilst sitting in a Dublin pub, they are told that the best Guinness is found on west side of Ireland. Off they go, looking for the best Guinness and the result is Pint Sized Ireland: In Search of the Perfect Guinness.

Travelling cheaply, hitchhiking and sleeping in hostels, McHugh provides a wonderful travelogue of Ireland. That he is looking for the "perfect Guinness" makes this even sweeter. Travelling from town to town, asking about the best Guinness, experiencing some of Ireland's best (but maybe not so well known) sites, and picking up books from local writers (Yeats is one). Interspersed throughout the book, McHugh includes words from the writers to explain some of his experiences. It adds a lot to the book.

This book really makes me want to visit Ireland. No matter where he goes, be it Dublin, Westport, Sligo, or Belfast, the people are friendly, kind, and humorous. At each stop, either the barman or someone in the pub tells McHugh where he can find the best pint of Guinness (hint: it is always somewhere else). It is in a pub in Belfast, his last stop, where a patron begins to tell him where he can find the best pint. Stopping the man, McHugh tells him where you can find the best Guinness in Ireland. He drank for free the rest of the evening. Yes, the answer was that good, that true. And after reading this book, I agree (if you ask, I will tell you where).

An excellent travelogue, especially if you love "moother's milk."

Slainte!