Wood Books

What a find! This is a great book--49 poets, from 1-17 poems each, averaging maybe 7 each, written 1930-1990. These moving, vital, contemporary poems stand on their own without a Nevada connection. A quote from the editor, Shaun T. Griffin: "My motivation at first for editing this anthology was an undefined desire to see Nevada poets represented in more than passing form. But now...it is because of the poetry itself that I edit this book. The poetry made the journey worth the coming home." By Adrian C Lewis: THE CHICKEN BLUES/Outside his room the rain/sizzles upon government roofs./Inside, he fries chicken thighs/and tries not to spatter his unmade bed./Whispers circuit through the smoke./Tiny faces dance in the grease/and leap to his hand/to sink their teeth./Faces of all the women who cooked for him./He still lurks in the shadows of their eggshell skirts/and if he is fragile in his solitude/and scrambled beyond measures/of good, white taste/it is because of reasons he has yet to manufacture./He is the master of excuses./He will quite drinking tomorrow/he has said for twenty years/but then again, maybe he won't." Run, don't walk....

This book captures both the sad and the joyful. In the desert, the mountains, and the worlds of relationships. Moody and precise language make this a great read. Spend some time with it!

This series of guides has a well-established format - which, in this instance, has been used to very good effect by an Author who knows what he is doing.

Beginning with an explanation of how the book should be used, there are keys, legends and icons to be understood. These are placed next to each dive site throughout the book as an instant means of identifying the type and standard of diving involved. Not popular with everyone - but very useful for those who like them. Next is an introductory chapter which provides plenty of information vital to anyone contemplating a visit. This is followed by a large section on diving and snorkelling in general, before the book gets down to specifics - all of which provides an excellent "lead-in."

Commencing with the USVI, this section kicks off with an introduction to the country and then goes on to cover 72 specific dive sites throughout St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John. This is followed by similar information on the BVI before tackling 60 dive sites found throughout Tortola, Virgin Gorda and Anegada. The book then concludes with chapters on the marine environment, photography, health & safety and a bibliography.

Lawson Wood is an immensely capable and experienced underwater photographer and author. Altogether, the photography is well above the average standard normally encountered in such guides as this and it says much for Mr Wood's skills that I was unable to find a single poor photograph within the book.

In Summary; an excellent and well-presented book produced by a talented writer and photographer - and one that will not disappoint anyone contemplating a visit to the Virgin Islands.

NM

I really love this book..it is really well written and incredibly informative. I would love to read anything Lawson Wood decided to write next!

Great photos & maps too. I especially like the little tidbits of information set off in blue boxes throughout the book.

Doctor To The Front: The Recollections Of Confederate Surgeon Thomas Fanning Wood 1861-1865 is the latest addition to the University of Tennessee Press Voices of the Civil War Series and an outstanding contribution to Civil War studies. Military doctors labored through the smoke of battle where impossible conditions and fear of infection compelled them to resort to amputation -- an operation most often performed without painkillers. Thomas Wood's account of his wartime experiences as a Confederate Army surgeon and his recollections of those events provide the reader with a vividly narrated "window in time" to those harrowing days. Very highly recommended for personal, professional, and academic Civil War reading lists and reference collections, Doctor To The Front combines historically significant information with human interest accounts to reveal still another horrific facet of the civil war.

This is a terrific book that discusses the life of a Confederate army surgeon. Thomas Wood wrote his "recollections" nearly twenty-one years after the war ended. Wood wrote of his adventures in the third North Carolina Regiment. He saw Chancellorsville,Gettysburg,and many others. He gives interesting biographic sketches on different members of the regiment. Wood's letters home are included in the book to make it very interesting. The medical situation was very inadequate. There was very little knowledge of sanitary laws. Wood did not truly have any medical degree,nor was he recommended by a medical school,he began to practice medicine after developing an interest in it after recovering in an army hospital.
I enjoyed this book because Wood writes well. His detail of the battles are interesting.
Though it may interest the historian,I think that a book like this should be enjoyed by anyone who loves a good book.
One other book on medical history is Kate: the Journal of a Confederate Nurse by Kate Cumming.

Fans of the blues will thoroughly enjoy this outstanding book by Roger Wood and James Fraher, who spent seven years researching and interviewing folks involved with the largely "invisible" blues music scene in Houston and the surrounding area. Fraher's photographs are outstanding, and they help drive the lively text. The authors interviewed musicians, club owners, producers and many others associated with the music scene in Houston's Third Ward and the Fifth Ward. The book moves easily from clubs to ballrooms to barbecue joints, where the music first took root and is still played today. Many legendary blues musicians such as Lightnin' Hopkins, Clifton Chenier, Gatemouth Brown and others of similar rank make appearances in the text. This is a high-quality book from a production standpoint and is an incredible bargain at full price or the Amazon.com sale price.

Roger Wood begins this labor of love with a tacit admission that, on moving to H-town in 1981 for job related purposes, he was unaware of the blues history lining the cracks of the nearby Third Ward sidewalks until the February 1, 1982 obituary in the Houston Chronicle of lifelong native Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins. With this tome under his belt it appears he's made up for lost time since then.

In addition to covering the wealth of blues greats who were either born in Houston or called the area home for any length of time, Wood also documents the underbelly of the lower class club scene, those low rent juke joints and converted shotgun houses that kept the I-IV-V alive all those decades, and still continues to do so. Wood rightfully laments the city's growing distance from it's blues heritage as well as the disappearance of it's historic venues, but "Down in Houston" is a verbal and pictorial testament to the bedrock that no one can strip away.

I have an ancient copy of this book handed down from my great-great grandmother. My copy is dog-earred and so worn the cover cannot be deciphered, but I've always loved thumbing through to find remedies for various complaints. In addition, Dr. Chase knows when to plant crops, how to care for farm animals, how to make basic household conveniences such as soap, baskets, spinning, weaving, churning butter...you name it, he has it in this book. Some of the remedies for illnesses might seem like they're from the Inquisition, but even simple poultices can be used today with great results. I wouldn't recommend dosing your child with kreosote, but amid the obvious bad advice are gems to be used in today's world. This copy of the book is much easier to read than my over 100 years-old copy, but the language is quaint and the book is an entertaining piece of Americana.

Dr. Chase was a traveling physician who compiled this book of "recipes and information for everybody" including a wide array of information and home remedies for families. At the time it was published, individual receipes to cure a sick horse or sick child were quite expensive. Dr. Chase's book of 800 recipes for health remedies, drinks, livestock cures, etc. was a bargain and a mainstay in households across the continent.

Sections include:
Merchant and Grocer Department
Saloon Department
Medical Department
Tanner,Shoe, & Harness Maker Department
Painter Department
Blacksmith Department
Tinner Department
Gunsmith Department
Jeweler Department
Farrier Department
Cabinet-maker Department
Barber Department
Baker/Cooking Department
Domestic Department
Miscellaneous Department

The information included is wildly varied and fascinating! Dr. Chase even advocates humane treatment of animals (includes illustrations for saving injured horses), instructs young people in how they can be successful, etc. etc. etc.

Just a wonderful book of frontier/19th century wisdom! I have the 38th edition, which was published in 1866.

I swore off scary writing some time ago and then I discovered Simon Wood and was hooked again. The sheer thrill of his writing is enough to send chills down you spine and love every minute of it! Short story writing is a craft few master and when you can pack as much as Simon does into each page...you know you're reading one of the very best.

Even though I've still got my lights on...I'm compelled to ask: When's the next collection coming out, Simon?

Dragged into the Darkness by Simon Wood
Reviewed by Brutal Dreamer

What can I say about the talented, prolific author, Simon Wood that has not already been said?

One thing I can say: Simon didn't have to drag me into the darkness --I went with him willingly through each tale.

Come journey with me, if you will, and let *me* drag you into Simon's darkness through each terrifying tale: When the light faded and the aircrafts transmission came through, requesting emergency assistance in RUNAWAY THREE-SEVEN, you knew you were going to be dragged for a dark and bumpy ride; a familiar whistling causes a new darkness to unfold for an architecture, Paul Thompson's talents in SUNSEEKER; Terry dodged cleaning THE LADIES ROOM until last -it seemed to have sprung a leak or have a wound of its own; an ungrateful, mysterious woman in POLK-A-DOTS signs her death warrant when she is picked up by a man on a long and winding road --but was it is own death warrant; a severed foot arrives in A SPECIAL DELIVERY; Social Services is called in due to an accumulation of rancid food, large hefty bags, and garbage lining a home of A HOARDER, Charlene -for what tragic reason won't throw anything away; the dining habits leave a lot to be desired for Dave, HUNGRY FOR MORE is more than every diners worse, repulsive nightmare; the horrific darkness only begins when they enter THE TUNNEL the real horror emits as the tunnel becomes smaller and smaller with no way out for Karen and Mike; deformities were everywhere and patients called for Doctor Troy's expertise, but was the cure worse than the deformities in IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER; Captain Clelland's keeps his bargain even at the cost of others, his soldiers crossed the threshold of a violent, bloody aftermath in ACCEPTABLE LOSSES; a dragging fear develops in a hundred mile underground dark, silver mine --armed with only a flashlight, can the mine of silver provide protection from a werewolf, in A SILVER LINING; Tammy makes a deadly deal with THE HEAD that changes her mother forever; an ingenious plan for a drug dealer oozes with gory BUS PEOPLE; Patrick has an unusual experience with THE SHOWER CURTAIN, it appears to be alive with a half dozen or so people inside it; could a fruitcake aboard a plane convince a pilot that it takes FAITH to keep a plane airborne.

It's not often a reviewer can say every tale in a collection was worth the read... however in this case, I must confess, Simon Wood kept me spellbound with each story in his menagerie of macabre; his surrealist prose is entertaining and equally chilling.

While you are DRAGGED INTO THE DARKNESS with Simon you will be pleading for more instead of wishing the ride to end. You'll indulge your darkened fears and befriend the evil that awaits you around the next corner.

This was an amazing piece of literature. I look forward to reading more by this innovative and passionate author.

Bailey's imaginative work is more fun than formula. Worth a look.

Love this book in English and its just as great in Spanish. Great phrases to read aloud to help a youngster learn Spanish. And of course the story is cute as can be. Great for ANY age :)

I have to say that I fell in love with the little mouse. Each page is a colorful new experience. I felt his horror when he heard about the terrible Big Hungry Bear, and his frantic attempt to save the red, ripe strawberry from him. What a clever and entertaining book. I am a storyteller and this is the favorite of all. Children young and old can enjoy the beautiful illustrations and the creative storyline. It definetly makes me want a big, red, ripe strawberry.

Anyone who loves perennial plants should own at least one perennial plant encyclopedia. I highly recommend this 'Encyclopedia of Perennials' by Christopher Woods. This book does not concentrate on pictures, although there are enough photographs to give you an idea of what at least one plant species in each genus looks like.

The listing for each plant genus includes information about cultivation, landscape use, and propagation. After each genus listing, the book offers a wealth of information about the many plant species within each genus of plants. Information for each species includes the common name, the plant's origin, height and spread, description, and zone hardiness. Many cultivars (cultivated varieties of a species of plant) are also listed and described.

As an example, after the general information about Penstemon, seven species are listed and described. One of the species entries reads:
"P. digitalis. Eastern United States. Height 3 ft; spread 2 ft (90 x 60 cm). An erect, clump-forming plant native to open meadows, with elliptic to broadly lance-shaped basal leaves becoming narrower and smaller up on the flower stem. Spikes of bell-shaped, white flowers sometimes flushed pink are produced in early summer. This is a variable species. 'Husker Red' has purple-red leaves, red stems, and white-flushed purple flowers and is a highly desirable cultivar. In general, this species and its cultivar are far easier to grow in hot and humid climates than their western relatives. Zones 3 - 9."

I enjoy the author's style. Christopher Woods provides no-nonsense descriptions, such as his warning about the Houttuynia: "An effective but sometimes ugly groundcover for wet sites, where it can become almost impossible to eradicate. Be warned!"

I have found 'Encyclopedia of Perennials' to be an excellent source of information. More than once, it has prevented me from purchasing a plant with which I would not be happy, and it has also encouraged me to seek out plants that otherwise, I would have passed by!

Each time I need information about a perennial, I find this book has a listing for that plant. I can't say that about any other perennial reference book that I have used.

Being a student of business and information management, I had heard about SOA before, both from a technical perspective (XML, Web services) and from a business standpoint (shiny visions of flexible processes). This book is like the missing link between the two areas! It does not only tell you that SOA will change organizations but it also shows *how* exactly this is going to happen. The authors describe all relevenat aspects, starting from organizational change down to the SAP tools that can be used to model processes and to create your own service-oriented applications.
What surprised me most was that ESA - SAP's flavour of SOA - is business-ready today! This is illustrated with numerous real-world examples from a wide range of corporations. The case studies give a good idea of useful ESA applications and show how the transition to a service-oriented infrastructure could take place.
"Enterprise SOA" is suited for everybody interested in information management, even without any previous knowledge in the SOA field. After reading through the book, you'll finally know how SOA is changing the business environment and how SAP is bringing the concepts to life based on open standards. Although you won't know every technical detail, you'll have learned enough to plan your organization's future in a service-oriented world.

This is a very helpful book on SOA because it provides the business case for SOA, an excellent technical overview, and real-life examples of how to use it.

While it is written from an SAP perspective, any IT group that is investigating SOA will find value in this book -- as it describes how SOA impacts different layers of the IT stack (from persistence to business objects, to process orchestration, and uesr interfaces). It also provides actual case studies.