Henry Books

This had some great old school recipes. However, if you are an Italian American you do not need this book. Had stuff my Great Grandmother and Grandmother have passed down.

Hill's book is extremely insightful. It's very descriptive and chocked full of authentic Italian recipes and stories from Hill's gangster life. The recipes range from very simple to somewhat complicated, depending on the reader's preference. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about the real-life, but old style of Italian cuisine.

A colorfull presentation of some excellent recipes, I truely value this book, in my collection. Try his shrimp receipe for the grill, excellent, my guests loved it and I the simplicity.

I've made a few of the meals in here, and they were very good. Not all that different from the way I cook anyway, but a few differences made the meals better. No problem with the recipes.

My problem is with the marketing of gangster life. This isn't a merely an Italian cookbook-- this is promoted as a MAFIA cookbook ("cooking on the run"?). His life stories are told in euphamistic and humourous fashion, but the reality is very different. The end of the book is almost enraging-- Henry says he he sees pierced and tattoo'd kids eating dinner at McDonald's, and wonders where their parent are-- they ought to be having a nice family dinner at home.

PUHLEEEEZE!!! Read his childrens' book-- "On the Run--A Mafia Childhood". Years of drinking and drug related abuse, not coming home for days at a time, turning his home into a drug and sex den, both before and after his bust-- and much worse stuff-- if you find yourself getting amused by his engagingly told tales of gangster glory or if you find his stories of his Broolyn childhood endearing, then you need to read his childrens' book for balance. See the link below.

Buy this book used. I wouldn't put a dime in Hill's pocket.


On the Run: A Mafia Childhood

I got this for my husband last Christmas and we haven't found anything that wasn't totally delicious. The only problem is, we can't eat Italian in a restaurant anymore! We cook better at home!! With Henry's precise step-by-step directions, and his delightful autobiographical inserts, this is our favorite cookbook.
If you can stomach it, a viewing of "Goodfellas" really makes the cookbook a lot of fun and brings the voice of Henry Hill to life. Sometimes we can feel him running around our kitchen in his drug-induced haze, preparing his Michael's favorite meatballs just like in the movie!

Who knew that doughnuts could be so much fun? Well, Laurie Keller did, and that's why she was clever enough to write this book! The story of Arnie the doughnut, trying to save himself from being eaten alive is laugh out loud funny. Arnie wonders why he is an unlucky doughnut when he is not to be chosen to be taken home by some of the shop's customers. Then he learns that perhaps he would have been better off staying at the bakery--be careful what you wish for! The title caught my eye when I first saw it, but I was not sure how a doughnut would play out in a children's book. I am so glad that we got it, because it is a much loved story that we read over and over again.

Arnie, the DoughnutThis is probably one of the best children's books I have found. The illustrations are bright and beautiful. The book is rich with dialogue and characters. The main character Arnie is such a treat. He is funny, sensitive and silly.His crazy antics keep you going the entire story. I bought this book for my 7 year old and she guards it with her life. It is a very fun story full of animation and giggles. I highly suggest this book if you want to give someone a smile.

Not your typical, dopey little kids book.
The hilarious premise of this book is made only funnier by tons of little asides written throughout the margins. My kids and I have read it hundreds of times and seem to find something new each time.
As a friend of mine said, 'It doesn't insult kids' intelligence.' Very true, as it's also funny for adults!
Author's other book about Great States is also a gem.

This is a cute book that gets even better when read aloud by a skilled story teller! The main character is a doughnut that cannot wait to be taken home and turned into a best friend. He is appalled to find he is going to be eaten. I read it to my second grade students two weeks ago, and it has been requested every reading time since. The story had clever thoughts and wording. It's funny, the pictures add a lot to the story.

My 2 daughters (ages 7 and 3) love this book. My 7 year old reads every word in the book and loves the story being told from the point of view of a donut named Arnie. After reading the book she started to create other doughnut stories of her own. My 3 year old really enjoys the book being read to her as she looks at all the beautiful and lively illustrations on every page. Now everytime we buy donuts, they start telling stories.

A cute story about how children see their dolls and dolls see their children. Perfection is in the eye of the child. And the most worn are often the most loved. Any one with a passion for dolls would love this story.

Absolutely love this book for girls ages 0 to 12 -but most compelling for ages 6-10. This was a favorite of mine when i was young. My 8 year old daughter is so enamoured wtih the story she wants to have a Best Loved Doll birthday. Don't hesitate - buy this book!

This wonderful book captivated me as a child. It is probably my most favorite book from my childhood and I loved it so! I remember so much how I wished I could have owned the best loved doll, and how it made me tear up after my mother read it to me for the first time. I cannot wait to read it one day to my daughter(s)!

"The Best Loved Doll" was the first book I fell in love with as a little girl. Even after I grew up I still remembered this book. When I got pregnant and found out I was having a little girl, I knew I had to find this book. And to my astonishment, I found it and didn't think twice of purchasing it. I can only hope that my little girl will love it as much as I did. A true treasure for all little girls with a good meaning: just because something looks old and is in tatters, it doesn't mean it can't be loved or give love.

I have loved this book my whole life. I think it is a great reminder for today's materialistic youth.

Please say this review is helpful to you. They told me that if I post another unhelpful review they're going to kill my ferret.

It was obvious to anyone who has known Peyser that something like this was bound to happen. I refer, of course, to Peyser's bout of aphasia during his freshman year at the College. Clearly this mysterious illness has returned in book-length, perhaps even a global, form. We may never really know what Peyser is up to in this book. Oh, for some Young and Champollion to decode this, the Rosetta Stone of post-modernism!

I don't usually tolerate so-called theory, but this was fun!

Don't let the title fool you--this is a down-to-earth, engaging work that deserves to be read by a much larger audience than the academic field it's probably relegated to.

This is a powerful, bleak book. None of the writers Peyser deals with is particularly optimistic. The possible exception is Howells but there is a dark undertow even to his work which Peyser makes sure we see. So a book about utopia is also a strangely, depressing read. 40 years or so after Brooke Farm, who would have thought things would have gotten so sad? Of course it was the turn the century and the best of the Western thinkers were thinking sad and pessimistic thoughts. And now here we are at the turn of another century and we have this powerful, bleak book. Have we come all that far after this century of bloodthirsty carnage? Is Utopia even further away than it was 100 years ago? Read Peyser's powerful, bleak book and see if you can answer some of these sad questions yourself. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

You know, this is not the sort of book I would normally read. But there it was, suddenly, on the coffee table one night. How it got there I have no idea. Just curious, I began to leaf through the pages, and the words began to resonate with me. Unable to sleep, I read it through in one sitting by candlelight. The next morning, I began to look at things around me differently. First, I removed several unessential appliances from the house in an effort to simplify my existence. Then it became time to de-clutter and I threw out several items I realized I had no more use for. Then, and this all seemed so logical in light of the things I'd read, I divorced the wife and sent her on her why. Sure, she cried a bit, but I knew I was doing the right thing. And I've never regretted it. This is, indeed, one of the best books I've read all year.

If you are serious about magic, then this book is just as important as Tarbell. Buy it.

I've had a copy of this book since 1975 and passed it on to my youngest son. This book as been part of our family since I was a teenager and will continue to be as long as it's avaible.

This one book will open the doors of magic for you. The first two chapters are essential for the reader to understand how to create magic in the minds of the spectators. Mr. Hay is an excellent teacher and motivator. Although his passion was coin magic (T. Nelson Downs was his boyhood hero), he teaches classic sleights for cards, coins, thimbles, balls, silks, etc. He gives wise counsel on buying apparatus, how to stage a magic show, performing for children, how to practice, and more. Although the AMH was originally written in 1950, the books listed in his bibliography are still recommended reading today. I had the rare opportunity to meet Mr. Hay in Germany and he was cordial and still proficient in his hobby. Do you want to learn magic? Buy this book.

Henry Hay (pen name for June Barrows Mussey, who was a journalist and translator as well as magician) was probably the best magical writer that ever lived. Several professional magicians have learned from his clear prose, including Johnny Ace Palmer, Gary Oulette (producer of the WORLD'S GREATEST MAGIC specials), and David Copperfield. If it was good enough for those guys, it's good enough for anybody. It was certainly good enough for me. I still refer back to it at times, and I've been into magic since I was twelve. I'm twenty-one now. Buy this book and learn all that it has to teach. Count yourself very lucky if you can find a good copy.

If you are interested at all in magic then this is the book to get. It lets you in on the secrets of a whole realm of different magic tricks (coins, cards, stage, close, etc....). Whats great about this book is that if you are new to the "hobby" then you can sample a little of alot and find what really interests you, then you can delve into another more specific book with deeper content.

A book to keep by the bedside; tales to enjoy again and again. A haven for those familiar with the genre, and, for the novice, a menu of the fine writers of dark imagination.

Nearly fifty years ago, in the mid-sized Midwestern town where I spent many of my formative years, with some windfall paper route money, I purchased the Modern Library edition of "Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural" (published by Random House, edited by Herbert A Wise and Phyllis Fraser). That particular edition was eventually worn out from extensive reading and re-reading and had long since disappeared from my possession; but several months ago, at a Montgomery County Public Library sale in Troy, North Carolina, thanks the alertness of my sharp-eyed wife, I purchased, for a mere pittance, the *original* edition of this book, published in 1944; it was like encountering a long-lost friend! The dedication page consists of an Old Scotch Invocation: "FROM GHOULIES AND GHOSTIES AND LONG-LEGGED BEASTIES AND THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT, GOOD LORD DELIVER US!". Of interest also is that on the publication page the following appears: "THIS IS A WARTIME BOOK - The Text is complete and unabridged, but every effort has been made to comply with the Government's request to conserve essential materials." It was in my Modern Library edition that, as a teen-ager, I first read classic supernatural stories by Algernon Blackwood (the well-known "Ancient Sorceries" and the lesser-known "Confession" [but not "The Willows" or "The Wendigo"]), F(rancis) Marion Crawford ("The Screaming Skull" [but not "The Upper Berth"]), M(ontague) R(hodes) James ("Casting the Runes" [my favorite of all of his 30 stories] and "Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You My Lad"; both stories, incidentally, illustrate James's adroit and effective handling of understatement), H(oward) P(hilips) Lovecraft ("The Rats in the Walls" and "The Dunwich Horror"), Arthur Machen ("The Great God Pan" [but not "The Inmost Light"]), Oliver Onions ("The Beckoning Fair One"), Edgar Allan Poe (the well-known story "The Black Cat" and the lesser-known but even more disturbing "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar"), and Edgar Lukas White (the eerie "Lunkundoo"). Also among the 52 stories in this collection are some powerfully-effective adventure stories: Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game", Geoffrey Household's "Taboo", Carl Stephenson's "Leiningen versus the Ants", and H.G. Wells's "Pollock and the Porroh Man". (Undoubtedly because of the publication date, there is nothing here by Robert Aickman [e.g., "The Inner Room"], Clive Barker [e.g., "In the Hills, The Cities"], Stephen King [e.g., "Dolan's Cadillac" {terror} or "The Mist" {supernatural/preternatural], or Joyce Carol Oates [e.g., "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"]). The editors provide an Introduction, an Introduction to the Notes, and interesting and comprehensive biographical sketches of each of the authors. Over the past few months, I have enjoyed becoming re-acquainted with these stories. Although there now exist more modern collections of these types of stories (e.g. David Hartwell's "The Dark Descent", "The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories", and "Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories"), this out-of-print book is well worth acquiring, if you should be fortunate enough to happen upon it in an estate collection auction, at a library sale, in a thrift store, or at a used-book seller's.

This is yet another one of the books that was required for my Arts & Humanities class "The Horror Story"...I must say that I'm quite glad that I was introduced to this novel.

This book houses some of the greatest horror stories since the genre came into existence. I have a new appreciation for Edgar Allen Poe. Algernon Blackwood is an AMAZING writer, quite possibly my new favorite. There is even a story written by O. Henry!

This book could easily be considered a bible among those who are horror-genre fans. I can't say much else about this book other than IN MY OPINION it is worth the money you will spend on it and the time you will spend reading it.

This book is, quite simply, the best collection of 19th and early-20th century short fiction of the dark variety in existence. First published in the 1940s, this single (albeit fat) volume is a goldmine of the roots of modern horror, a great way to see where today's horror heavyweights got their inspiration and influence.

Some authors whose stories appear within: Bierce, Blackwood, Dickens, Faulkner, Hawthorne, Hemingway, James (both Henry & M.R.), Kipling, Lovecraft, Machen, Poe, Wells, and many more, a good mixture of horror genre regulars and more conventional or 'literary' authors to whom dark fiction was a departure from the norm. If many of those above names are unfamiliar to you and you consider yourself a fan of dark fiction, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

[Sidenote: The book also contains two of my all-time favorite short stories from two slightly lesser-known authors: Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game," and W.W. Jacob's "The Monkey's Paw." As far as I know, this is the only single volume that includes both. The latter story is, in my humble opinion, THE most perfect scary story of all time.]

Once again: Wagner & Wise's collection is the best thing of its kind.

If you're looking for a little fear on your pallet, this book will dish it out in buckets. The authors are old world craftsmen who wrote these stories on dark and stormy nights. As you read, the wind will howl, dead children will laugh, and the scurry of rats will make you look around your room. Drink a glass of wine, eat dark chocolate, and curl up to this one in bed. Dead men do write good tales.

my toddler loves this book. she almost has it memorized and now pretends that she's reading it.

This story is simple enough for babies-small children to enjoy and the illustration is inspiring.

Reviewed by Janelle Martin

This beautifully illustrated day-in-the-life tale focuses on the parallel stories of a dog and cat set in the 1930s or `40s. Hondo the dog goes off to spend the day at the beach with a canine pal. Fabian the cat stays at home with "the baby." Each has adventures and readers are invited to decide which pet has more fun.

The language in Hondo & Fabian is spare, featuring parallel narratives using similar words and sentence structure.

"Hondo is going to the beach to meet his friend Fred.

Fabian is going to the living room to play with the baby."

Hondo gets hungry after diving in the waves and "wishes he could eat the fish." Fabian gets hungry after playing with the toilet roll and "wishes he could eat the turkey sandwich."

The basic language allows children to elaborate on the story from their own experience and imagination. The large type size means this book will function well as a transitional book as your child starts to recognize words and practices reading.

Parents will enjoy the vintage feel of Peter McCarty's exquisite pencil illustrations while children will respond to the loveable animals. As he states in an interview with Publisher's Weekly, he loves the "pure visual shape of things from that era" and it is a period which he features in many of his books.

Children who enjoy the adventures of Hondo & Fabian will want to read Fabian Escapes, the sequel in which Fabian explores the world while Hondo stays home with the baby. Hondo & Fabian was a Caldecott Honor Book in 2003 for Peter McCarty's outstanding illustrations.

I am at that grandmotherly age with three grandchildren, ages 3, 6, and 7. After years away from children's books, I have become re-acquainted. I must say, the second time around is better! New illustrators, new stories, new thrills.

Thrills can come in different varieties. The subject of this review is "Honda and Fabian," such a gentle, sweet book, a thrill because it is so sweet and gentle. Hondo and Fabian live together in the same house. Their people take Hondo the dog to the beach with his best buddy Fred, another dog. Why can't Fabian go? Because he is a cat, cats don't like oceans, nor are they taken out anywhere, being the individual, poor-minding creatures they are. Basically, this story outlines the basic differences between dogs and cats as companions.

While Hondo romps and barks in the ocean, Fabian is at home with the walking, ruffian-of-a-girl dangerous one. She clutches Fabian until he formulates an avoidance scheme to hide-low the rest of the day.

When Hondo returns home, they return to their joint routines and all is right with the world. This is such a simple story but underlines the friendship that even a cat and dog can have with each other. Hopefully, the listening child understands that his sibling is also a friend.

I love this book and recommend it highly for your little ones.

Yo, woof! I'm Hondo.

Hi, I'm Fabian. Have you seen the book just about us? OK, maybe the baby and that other dog that hangs with Hondo are in it, but basically the book is about our lives, well, actually, just one day in our lives.

Woof! My job is to tell you about our book. Our buddy, Peter McCarty, wrote and illustrated it. I have to tell you, woof, that he made both of us a bit "large boned."

You mean "fat" don't you, Hondo? Meow, you know we're fat, what with all the food we get. Anyway, before we start the story, I would like you to open to the end pages and look at those illustrations of both of us. Would you move over just a bit--I would like to rub my scent glands on the edges of the book. I'm marking this book because I like it so much.

Woof, look at us sleeping. Peter gave us that blurry look so little children would know it's sleepy time and all fuzzy inside our heads.

Meow, you know us cats: Slight us and we turn our backs. The people took Hondo and left me with....dun dun dun dun...the BABY!!! No way I'll get any shut-eye now!. Better get my hisser ready.

Wooooooof! Love the wind in my face, and, oh bow wow, the s-m-e-l-l-s are glorious! Hey, it's Fred. Yo, Fred, race ya!!

Dun dun dun dun--the BABY has got me. Yelp! Hissss, but I have to be nice. Gotta keep the claws in! It's a BABY even if she is dangerous!

Yipeee, yippeee, jump the waves. Yo, man, having fun-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-!!! Wait'll I tell Fabian!!

The BABY. Gotta get away....gotta get away....I'll show 'em what's what. Leaving me with the BABY. Take that, take that, take that. There, done! Success again--got all the soft stuff (some kind of paper) in the bathroom over and out and down on the floor. Wait'll I get my claws on Hondo....that dog!

Hey, Fabian. I had a blast! Jumped the waves. Tried to steal a fish. Hung out with Fred. Woof, what a day!!

Meow, Hondo. Another day, another bowl of food... Let me say this: If I ever get out of here, I am going on my own adventure...Meow!

Good night, Fabian.

Good night, Hondo.

Good night, BABY.

What I found interesting about this book is that is a history lesson in American business and early regulatory policies that shaped the landscape we see today. At the same time, it is a story of classic love and betrayal. I found the author doing a great job when the story focused on Mellon's marriage and the demise of such, but he tended to become a bit lost in the details when describing all of the political ups and downs. Overall, a fine book and great American story

Though I can not claim to be altogether objective about the subject matter in much of this great book, I must congratulate Cannadine for a masterful study of what has been an extremely closed subject for a long, long time - most of all in the Mellon's home town of Pittsburgh. The late Paul Mellon must be given a lot of credit for breaking with family tradition - first for allowing the book "Thomas Mellon And His Times" to see the light of public day and then to let it all hang out with Cannadine with regard to sources and family papers.

All of the business glories (one wonders at times if Andrew ever really enjoyed his successes), all of the personal agonies (it must have been excruciating on many levels), and much of the rancor between both Judge Thomas Mellon's as well as Andrew's detractors and adversaries are, for the first time, put into print for ALL of the public's perusal. It will be up to each individual reader to judge for themselves how they feel about this man and his father and family.

It came as no suprise to me when Cannadine named my great-great grandfather as being one of the "vexatious litigation" principles who Judge Mellon would only refer to as "A", "B", or "C" in his autobiography. Cannadine is specific about the bad blood between the Negleys and the Mellons after the "eugenic" match (his words) and Pittsburghers specifically will find much new insight here.

However, this long and comprehensive book never lets down as it explores all facets of the Mellon dynasty, how it was aquired (at times skirting legality and even morality), and he leaves very few stones unturned. What Cannadine might have missed was the fact that the rehabilitation of the Mellon name in Pittsburgh was undertaken by Andrew's nephew Richard K. Mellon (Richard Beatty Mellon's son) when "Renaissance I and II" which, along with the Allegheny Community Conference, cleaned up the city of Pittsburgh and made it livable again after over 150 years of take, take, and more take by men such as "A.W." and "R.B" among many others, including Andrew's buddy Henry Clay Frick.

The mystery of "M..." will, I feel, eventually be solved but as was mentioned in a previous review, even as good a sleuth as Cannadine could not hazard even a guess (though I'll bet he had a guess). Notice that she becomes "Mrs. M---" on pg 259. I hardly believe that such a man would be so indiscreet as to write an entree with such a clue, or such an admission of a possible affair - but this entree IS followed by perhaps the most emotional outburst of his heart, "CRUEL", in uppercase.

A flawed man, as are all men, and obviously a tortured one for much of his life, this book will give everyone the chance to weigh the evidence and decide for themselves the verdict which until now was impossible to consider to to lack of full factual disclosure. I found it fascinating the whole way from beginning to end. The source notes are a gem in and of themselves.
I would also recommend both books by father and son for a comprehensive look at all three men, and how wealth, acquisition, and the drive and pressures of both shaped them.
"Thomas Mellon And His Times"
"Reflections In A Silver Spoon"

If you like history you'll love this book, it's long and "gets long winded in history" but try stop reading I couldn't, if your over 55 you will really love it. I still don't know how I feel about Andrew, Dick and Thomas Mellon. I found myself loving this book excellent read.

You will savor this account of the tumultuous life of Andrew Mellon, an arrogant turn-of-the-last-century industrialist and millionaire. He was torn to tatters by a scandalous divorce and, later, by opposing politicians. However, he transcended those humiliations by establishing the lavish National Art Gallery just before he died. "Andy" Mellon's life (1855-1937) stretched across critical years when the U.S. was transformed from an appendage of Europe to a superpower. His work as treasury secretary was held in such esteem that the Republican Party considered running him for president. However, even given his role as head of the Treasury, Mellon could not curtail the 1920s margin-buying stock market mania that led to the 1929 crash and the Great Depression. He is mostly remembered for the National Art Gallery and for his sex-scandal divorce fight. David Cannadine offers a highly readable biography, which is very balanced though Mellon's son, Paul, commissioned it. However, some readers may decide to skim through the extensive coverage of the politicized "Tax Trial," and Andy's ordinary trade in minor art and small firms. We highly recommend this extraordinary saga.

Cannadine exceeded expectations on a number of fronts with this definitive biography of Andrew Mellon. It has everything you'd expect from a grade-A biography, laying out where Mellon's family came from (both physically and philosophically), how Mellon grew up, his rise, peak, eventual fall from grace, death and legacy. Not only that, but Cannadine does all of this exceedingly well, giving his reader a sense of the nuances and subtleties of Mellon's personality and life. If Cannadine had done nothing else, he'd still have written a five-star book.

This book goes beyond most rock-solid biographies that I've read in Cannadine's sensitivity to the larger meaning of the events in Mellon's life, his place in history and his impact even after his death. While this sensitivity is present throughout Cannadine's book, it really comes together in in his three-part epilogue, which you will absolutely not want to miss, it is the highlight of the book.

The first point Cannadine develops is that Mellon's life straddled the line between two different eras in American history. He shows how Mellon, without changing his behaviors, was perceived one way for much of his life, then a totally different way at the end of his life. Through his awareness of this point, Cannadine really demonstrates to the reader how radical the shift in sentiment was in America in the 1930s.

The second point Cannadine is aware of, as any successful biographer of a great historical figure must be, is the idea that Mellon was a human being with some great strengths and some great flaws. In my experience, people who have the strengths to accomplish the most often have corresponding weaknesses to go with them; Cannadine really makes this point clear in his epilogue, doing a "balance sheet" of positives and negatives of Mellon's character and accomplishments. I've never seen an author take even-handed analysis to a similar place, and it really helped bring together the books ideas at the end.

Finally, Cannadine captures a truth about life, society and politics that imbues the book with a sense of sadness. It becomes obvious that many (though certainly not all) of the good things that happen to Mellon happen out of chance. Similarly, when bad things happen to Mellon, most (again, not all... his divorce comes to mind as an obvious exception) of them are undeserved. Mellon dies near the low point of his public popularity, suffering primarily for sins he did not commit.

I highly recommend this book for lovers of biography and history, it is truly a step beyond a really good biography.

I just finished reading this book to my Nursing home residents. They were rapt in attention as we read the final two chapters quickly realizing this was not a "normal" Christmas tale. The ending is lovely, and considering WHEN it was written... true at this date.
A wonderful read for old and young alike....The tale will help you send your dreams to others for the holidays.

My interest in Richard Preston goes back to "The Hot Zone" and recently I was thinking about him and wondering if he had written any new books. I found this book listed in the card catalog and picked the worn out book from the stack and took it home to read. Like many of the lessons from God, this one was apparent only when I opened my heart to it and looked for the hidden message. If you are reading this review, then something has guided you to this book, and it will contain a lesson you are supposed to discover.

The Boat of Dreams by Richard Preston is a heart-warming tale of hope and love, which was originally written for his friend who was dying of breast cancer. This is a wonderful story to share with the entire family, especially during the holidays.

Preston brings Santa to life in a very `realistic" way, much to both the horror and delight of thirteen-year-old Will and his six-year-old sister, Lila. "Santa" teaches Will and Lila to dream their biggest dreams, allowing their love to flow for everyone, as they transverse the world on Christmas Eve in their departed father's beloved lobster boat. Magic and miracles are in the air as Will and Lila have the adventure of their life on this unforgettable night. They learn that things are not what they seem and that love does indeed create miracles.

This Christmas tale will fill one with hope and love, with several chuckles along the way and will leave the reader with a warm spot in his or her heart along with a tear or two!

I heartily recommend this book!

The Boat of Dreams is a simple Christmas tale of a brother and sister in 1969 whose dad is missing-in-action in Vietnam. Their mother works day and night to support them and sitting next to their trailer home is a shiny, beautiful boat, the Sarah Ann named after their mother - their dad's pride and joy. Not surprisingly, the children are saddened and angry by the apparent loss of their father.

In steps Santa Claus - an unkempt Santa Claus that reminds me of the sometimes drunk uncle played by Jim Belushi or Randy Quaid. Santa turns the Sarah Ann into a magical flying boat and takes the children on an adventure to brighten their spirits.

At times this book is fun; mostly during the interactions between the boy - getting to that defiant age - and his younger sister that he protects. But, unfortunately, it is also a bit predictable; especially, the ended - which I won't give away.

I bought this book when it was $15.00 - reasonable for a small, seasonal hardcover book, but now it appears to gone up to $27.00 for the 2006 Christmas season; what a shame - that is too much for such a thin book.

>>>>>>><<<<<<<

A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

Contrary to other opinions posted here, which appear to me as flavors of a press release, not a very good book. An attempt to interleave fictional characters with everyday reality to construe an inspirational teaching fails because the foundation is not developed or more often because it is established on arbitrary sentimental perspectives. This book is a conglomeration of possessive infantile clichés that are prevalent throughout mass media in present day society.

I read "Cache Lake Country" in 1968. I was delighted to find it in print again...like meeting an old friend.
Thank you.

I have read a lot of outdoor books over the last 40 years, and this is one of the best. I am going to research the author, John J. Rowlands, because he was obviously a fascinating man who lead a very interesting life. This book tells about 12 months living in a cabin on a lake in Northern Onatario. At the time Rowlands was working as a timber cruiser, evaluating forests for use as lumber. He happened upon his ideal lake and was lucky enough to get stationed there by his company. He was also very lucky to have two great friends living within miles (within signaling distance via the various drums, horns etc. they engineered), on other little lakes. Together the three lived every outdoor boy's dream life of independence and adventure. This book has stuff about canoes, wild animals, sled dogs, snowshoes, knives, axes, the history of the lumber camps, and many boy-scout like craft projects. I just wish it was a lot longer.

A good book but I didn't think it was as easy to read as friends lead me to believe. A tremendous amount of reference material, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I found the book enlightening and informative. Thank you for the opportunity to enjoy and learn from this book.

I'm going to be a little less enthusiastic, but only a little, than some of the other reviewers here. I really did like this book, but for some reason it just didn't quite pull me into the time, place, space the way it did some others- although it didn't miss by much.

This is a very unique book-probably reminding me of my old Boy Scout Fieldbook (a little more detailed and survival-oriented than the handbook) more than a typical non-fiction work. The illustrations are great as well as occasionally light-hearted, and if you are at all handy or have an engineering or for that matter, culinary bent, you will find plenty of recipes and blueprints for food, tools, gadgets- even crystal radio sets or birch bark canoes. While some of these you'd probably have to find some supplemental information to make, most come so well described and diagrammed that you could probably build them or bake them directly from the book.

For me the best part is the author's midwest and at times almost cowboy way of describing life. His time around rough loggers in the days when horses and two man saws were still the order of the day especially captured my imagination. Like many readers, I'm a lot hermit, and the thought of life in a cabin in the north woods with nothing but snow, bear, moose, and wind has a certain charm, and I'm grateful to Rowlands for giving enough of a story to enjoy a bit of that charm vicariously. An excellent and unique book, and for some it will probably become a treasured possession.