Stewart Books

First off, I must admit that I do not own this book - yet. I picked it up at random at a friend's house or, more correctly, hoisted it up, as it is printed on good paper and is very thick. Once started, I could not leave it until the end. Most books of this nature do not appeal to me very much, because they only warrant a cursory paging-through. I am sure there are many excellent books of this genre, it is just my ignorance which prevents me from appreciating them. But this one is different. The selection of the photographs is such that the pictures are never boring, and the descriptions, in spite of, or perhaps because of, their brevity, contain a surprising amount of information, which encourages one to read more about the many different subjects touched upon. This is not just a book about houses, it is a book on which one could base a study of the Russian people in its entirety, such as their history and culture in all its forms. Definitely a book I am buying.

For those who have been to Russia and Europe in the past, or lived there, this book highlights all beautiful details of Russia. I bought this book for my father years ago as a gift and later wanted to buy one for myself. I couldn't find it anywhere until I saw it here. I was in tears when I received it since this book has everything about the design and the heart of the country that I came to love and to know. Excellent photography!

What a find! This book is such a welcome departure from the tired and unsinspired pages filling most other hockey books out there. It is intelligently written and you can't help but feel Moore's passion for the game as you read- whether you have followed the game for years or are new to the sport, this book will definitely speak to you. I am an avid hockey fan, but this book offered me a fresh perspective on the game I thought I already knew very well. Moore presents thorough and surprisingly balanced arguments in ways I had not thought of before... Highly recommend this thoughtful read.

This is a must read! Not only is Moore astute, engaging, and gorgeous-(check out that author photo!), but his passion for the game is palpable and contagious. His frustrations with the state of the game, rather than rant-like, are constructively channeled. Moore offers many realistic and intelligent potential solutions to a number of problematic issues in hockey today. This compelling read makes a perfect gift for hockey loving husbands and wives alike!

I should have been a chef. My friends say much nicer things about my cooking than my singing, that's for sure. Mostly I cook in my own franco-italo-thai style, but once in a while I suffer an irrational craving for the kind of food my grandmothers made. Hey, even vikings crave comfort food now and then! So, although I have shelves of exotic cookbooks, mostly gifts from relatives who have stayed home, this book of artful recipes and photos of Scandinavian Feasts is the book I rely on to transubstantiate nostalgia into food. And yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, who lives on lingon and laks.
Here's my grandmother's recipe for Swedish meatballs, which is exactly like Beatrice Ojakangas's in this cookbook:
6 tablespoons of butter
1 small minced onion
2/3 cup of bread crumbs
1 cup of water
3/4 pound of ground veal
1/4 pound of ground pork
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon of ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon of sugar

Saute the onion in one tablespoon of the butter until soft. In a very large mixing bowl, mix the onions, bread crumbs, and water. Let them stand a while. Add all the other ingredients, and beat them together until very smooth and fluffy, using an old-fashioned egg-beater for the exercise. (The book recommends an electric mixer.) Using two spoons that you've frozen in the snow (the book suggests using ice-cubes), shape the meat mixture into tiny meatballs (köttbullar) no bigger than kumquats. Use the remaining butter to fry the meatballs, shaking the pan constantly so that they brown evenly on all sides. Drain them and keep them warm on a platter. Use flour and good beef broth to make a gravy. Pour the gravy on the meatballs and serve hot, with Swedish mashed potatoes (potatismos) and lingonberries. Härlig!

This is a wonderful cookbook. I received it as a wedding shower gift and initially thought it to be a great coffee table book. It has become one of my favorite cookbooks. The recipes are easy to follow and I have never been dissapointed with any of my results. The illustrations are beautiful and I thoroughly enjoy the commentary of Ms. Ojakangas. This is a must have book for all cooks, Scandinavian and otherwise!

Purser's large volume offers a broad overview of Scotland's music, from far off pre-history to modern times. Unlike many more specialized works, he incorporates a wide variety of sources and covers Highland as well as Lowland traditions with proper weight and attention given to Gaelic, Latin, Scots, Norse and Welsh. There are many useful illustrations and a detailed bibliography, making it very useful to the researcher. This is a great place to start to understand a rich and diverse history of music of all sorts in Scotland.

Anyone who is doing any kind of reading or research on either traditional or classical music from Scotland should be familiar with this book. Purser outlines how the traditional and classical are related up to present times. He not only gives information on the composers, but also on the performing artists. Interested persons should also explore his radio program on BBC. The book is laid out that it could be read cover to cover or as a resource for looking up information on a specific topic.

The Screech Owl's home town is in the perfect setting. Blanketed with snow and topped with a layer of ice. Travis wishes that these two days would last forever. By the end of the weekend he wishes they never began. Somewhere in their town their is a criminal that is hiding and the Screech Owl's must find him and bring him to justice.

Wow, Roy Macgregor was at his best when he wrote this! Very suspenseful, with a strong plot and great characters! I've read the other books and this one didn't deplete them one bit! Terrific read!

This book shaped my adoloescence. It's "under dog wins the day" theme combined with its innocent context made this my favourite book as a child. I highly recomend it to all young readers.

It had been a long time since I first saw a copy of Scrubs on Skates. I grew up in Winnipeg and went to Daniel Mac, the school the protagonist is forced to transfer from. As a kid, I just thought everybody had books that were set in their community. Some 25 years later, as a teacher in Canada's Nunavut Territory, I rediscovered how great this book is through the eyes of my students. It is the classic root for the under dog/coming of age tale. The characters are well written, the plot engaging, and it is still an enjoyable read. And I must confess to getting a thrill from the fact that it is set not just in the city but in the actual neighborhood that I grew up in. Excellent work from rocker Neil Young's daddy Scott. I highly reccommend this book.

Sea Of Dreams: Racing Alone Around The World In A Small Boat, by Adam Mayers is the riveting story of a fast-paced, around-the-world race for the "Around Alone" yacht race. Derek Hatfield in his yacht "Spirit of Canada" raced against twelve others around the world, beginning in New York Harbor, with stops in England, South Africa, New Zealand, and Brazil, and finally ending in Newport, Rhode Island. Sea Of Dreams is an amazing tale and very highly recommended reading, especially for anyone in search of a gripping and nautically inclined true-life story of a fearless pursuit of a dangerous race on the high seas.

This a great book, about the other solo around the world race. It reads like a thriller and taught me a lot of things I didn't know about solo sailing. Derek Lundy's Godforsaken Sea which was about the 96 Vendee was gripping and so is this one about the 02 Around Alone when the Cdn. Derek Hatfield was rolled over at the Horn and Brad Van Liew who lives in Charleston set new speed records for the race. His race was just as amazing. The other American guy Tim Kent was also a great story, getting stronger and stronger as the race went on.

I was most pleased with this book. Most books about seaweed I have seen do not describe its uses, and this book fills that gap beautifully by describing medicinal, cosmetic and general uses of seaweed, as well as how to find, harvest and preserve different species. This book is a winner for anyone who wants to know what to DO with seaweed as opposed to what it is and how it evolved. Cooksley also lists the constituents and values of each type of seaweed in the book, and the pages are packed with yummy recipes and useful tidbits. A masterpiece!

Valerie Cooksley gives us the recipes, knowledge and unique benefits of adding seaweed to our diets. Great recipes and research for overall general healing and balance to our metabolism. I personally have benefited from the consumption of seaweed (liquid form) with everything from migraines to lower cholesterol. Thank you Valerie!

Unlike some exotic cookbooks, this one is simple to use, and immediately banishes any fear of the unknown realms it leads one through. The recipes are practical and turn out as they should. They are clearly written, not overwhelming and the format and photos really help readers to succeed, thus making the book practical rather than a coffeetable book.

The author blends flavors in delectable ways, for example the cardammon and coconut ice-cream recipe sounded inedible to me, but the actual icecream was so delicious that I have had many requests for it. (Special gadgets and ice-cream makers were not called for in this recipe, which made it accessible to cooks with basic kitchen tools.)

This book contains some really original and exotic recipes. The ones I've tried are really good. This book however is really for those who like to cook a lot and also like to try out something new. Those who are beginner vegetarians, or looking for some basic, simple recipes should look elsewhere.

Stewart Florsheim's latest anthology of poetry is inspired his adult life, works of art, music and writing, his family of origin and his formative years. I find his poetry in the latter category to be the most compelling.
In "The Short Fall From Grace", Florsheim gives us another glimpse into not only his life, but also into the lives of his parents. The result can be compared to the phenomenon of gawking at an accident scene. We want to see the carnage and learn the details yet we are startled by and want to look away from those same things.
Mr. Florsheim's German Jewish parents settled in New York City, where they worked, raised a family, and eventually, died. Their marriage was difficult, and the dynamics are described in many of the poems. Mr. Florsheim also chronicles the slow and painful death of his mother from ALS, and in his words, I sense the agony of the disease.
This is an antholgy you would likely read many times over, finding new meaning and depth of emotion in each reading.

Book Lady Review, Bonanza Books,Clayton California, June 19, 2006,

Is poetry what we really want to read? Today, in our busy lives, when serious blocks of reading time are hard to come by, it seems to me that poetry is exactly what we ought to read. Take any poem in Stewart Florsheim's new book, The Short Fall From Grace, and what you get for a one page read is a world of past, present and future.

Beneath the surface of dense yet accessible language is a world that is as much ours as the poet's. In the poem, Five Years Old, we see a tough little kid leaving (by himself) his hospital bed the day after his tonsillectomy, only to meet his mother in the revolving door of the hospital entry. They go around and around until the boy's laughter is silenced by his mothers frantic, angry words, "Don't you ever do this to me again." Of course the boy will. The boy must do it again, just as we have done it to our mothers. And we know at the close of the poem that our children will do it to us. One poem. One page.

Whether Florsheim writes about his life or, as in many of the poems in this book, about artist-captured moments on canvas, each poem is its own story. Read them again while carpooling, train commuting, or waiting your turn at the dentist. Florsheim's knack for that jolt of understanding just below the surface makes these poems almost photographic. Believe me, you'll hear the "click" of the camera. We see what the poet sees, and because Florsheim's language has the light of insight, it is enough for poet and reader.