Guides Books

Rhett DeVane has written a gem with The Madhatter's Guide to Chocolate. Her descriptive phrases put the reader completely into the scene, experiencing the smells, tastes, and emotions on every page. The title may be a tad misleading; it is not a cookbook, although there ARE delicioius recipes scattered throughout. A thoroughly delightful read.

Mary Thomas Acton

The Madhatter's Guide to Chocolate is a wonderful mix of Southern Charm and modern day relationships. The reader is captivated with the forgiving heart that overcomes bigotry; and how the greatest insights into life can come from the mentally ill. The characters in this incredible story are so real I had to keep reminding myself this book was fiction.

First of all, I could not resist a title with "guide to chocolate" in it. And I was not disappointed; I loved the chapters starting with insightful quotes and chocolate recipes.

All of that was a brilliant introduction to the next part of the story, which is so wonderfully told you can almost hear the storyteller's voice. The characters are quirky yet real, the town different yet average ... the story captured me and took me on a delightful journey that kept me laughing in between tears.

I highly recommend this novel and look forwarded to Devane's next.

DeVane has done a superb job in weaving a story that tickles and prickles all the senses. I laughed, cried, got angry, and felt frustrated with some of her characters. I feel like I would know the characters if I met them on the street. As a matter of fact, I have met some of them. They are in the neighborhood and in the market place.
I look forward to reading her next book and hope she has several others in the series.
Genesis

While this is strictly a work of fiction, the town of Chattahoochee is real. In fact, it is the town in which author Rhett Devane lived as a child. From the "about the author" insert: "Rhett DeVane is a true southerner, born and raised in the piney woods of the north Florida panhandle. Originally from Chattahoochee, Florida, she now lives in Tallahassee where she is completing a series of southern fiction novels. Rhett is owned by two cats, Sisko and Saki, and a rescued Florida Cracker Retriever named Shelly." With every ounce of her Florida background invested in the characters of this novel, DeVane has brought to life a charming group of individuals and a tale that is at once funny, sad and everything in between.

Welcome to Chattahoochee, Florida. Welcome to Hattie's world where her home town's claim to fame is the nearby mental institution. For Hattie Davis, getting out of rural northern Florida had not come soon enough. But, when she returns to her childhood home of Chatthoochee for her mother's funeral, her view of the town has changed, her view of life has changed. In fact, Hattie has changed.

As a young girl, Hattie spent many hours at her father's small-town hardware store. It was here that she first became aware of Max the Madhatter as he was called. This eccentric resident of the local mental institution paid frequent visits to the hardware store - observing the father and child...observing life outside the confines of the institution. And making frequent entries in his notebook. With childhood innocence and unconditional acceptance of Mr. Max, Hattie befriended the man who would one day be the force behind a great change in Hattie and the town of Chattahoochee.

Mr. Max looked forward to the gift of a chocolate bar from Mr. Davis on his trips to the hardware store. Mr. Max had more than a passing fancy for chocolate although it would be years before Hattie would realize the extent of his obsession and how it would impact her own adult life.

At the reading of her mother's will, not only did Hattie learn that she had inherited far more than she realized her mother had saved, but she became the owner of a tattered gray notebook. The family attorney indicated that the notebook had been in with her parents' papers and although he had no idea what the significance of the notebook was, he knew that it was meant for Hattie. On the front of the notebook, in handwritten block letters the words "TO MY FRIEND, MR. DAN DAVIS AND HIS SWEET CHILD HATTIE." It was Max the Madhatter's notebook.

Even after looking into the notebook, Hattie was not quite sure what to make of it until her childhood friend Jake reminded her of its original owner. "It's Max the Madhatter's private notebook... He was one of those patients that had town privileges back during the sixties. He used to hang out at your daddy's store... He wasn't mental, just kind of slow. You know, they used to lock 'em up when the family didn't want them and they had nowhere else to go. He'd been a patient his whole life...Some of those Florida State Hospital records had diagnoses like idiot or moron. I remember Max the Madhatter helping out around town doing odd jobs. People would pay him in chocolate. That was his passion. He used to scribble constantly in a notebook he carried around all the time. No one had any idea what he was writing. or if he could even write at all."

The notebook was filled with sketches, descriptions of the merchants from the downtown area for whom Max worked for chocolate, and lots of chocolate recipes. A treasure trove for the chocolate lover in everyone! This book is filled with excerpts from Max's notebook ... and the recipes that are sprinkled through out the pages of the book add to its charm.

Just as endearing as the chocolate recipes with names like " Aunt Piddie Longman's Best Damn Chocolate Icing" and "Sweet Chocolate Treats for the Youngin's" are the clips of writing from Max himself... proof that he was by no means an illiterate man or a man of impaired understanding of the world around him. Quite the contrary!

"Excerpt from Max the Madhatter's Notebook: July 4, 1959: 'I see the map of a person's life written on him like a see-through film. Not always, but often, for just a brief blink of time. Hidden secrets glow like the light from a dim candle - buried deep. Secrets ready to rise up and cause hurt. Or heal it.'"

With Hattie's inheritance, Jake's ideas, and the Madhatter's recipes as the spark needed to light a creative fire, Jake and Hattie become business partners and work to bring new life to the old downtown area of their childhood home.

When an unspeakable crime is carried out against Jake, Hattie's resolve becomes even stronger. Returning to Chattahoochee and establishing herself there permanently is of utmost importance. As the events unfold, Hattie learns to accept life in a small town as a challenge and a gift rolled into one. With the help of other local merchants, she and Jake become instrumental in breathing new life into the old town. In doing so, she finds a peace she never knew she was capable of experiencing.

"From the Madhatter's notebook: May 14, 1957: 'Why are so many people looking for peace? All you have to do is look inside. I guess if you have your insides right, the rest will follow.'" Apparently Max the Madhatter knew the secret all along.

This is a delightful read that, while holding its fair share of tragedy and twists of fate, is sure to leave its reader with a "feel good" attitude when the final page is read.

by Lee Ambrose
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Malachy Murray's Unique New York is fantastic! More facts and information than I've ever read before on any books of New York. He has so many great stories that I've never been told about. I've taken his Circle Line Tour and he's fantastic. He knows just about everything about the great city. I'll be moving to the Big Apple soon and his book is beyond insightful. Highly recommended for any history buff or New Yorker!
Thank you Malachy!

Entertaining and informative review of New York. Great to read before a trip or if you have lived in NY for some time. Malachy Murray is a talented tour guide on the Circle Line Tours.

The way Malachy Murry brings the reader closer to New York and the great history behind the big city is both exceptional and breathtaking. If you have the slightest interest to know anything about New York - this book comes highly recommanded.
In mid-August this year my wife and I had the pleasure of taking the full tour with Circle Line around Manhatten and our tour guide, Mr Murray, made that the most interesting, informative and enjoyable tours we've ever attended.
Thank you,
Janne & Trond, Norway

Visited NY the last of August for the first time. Malachy was the tour guide on the Circle Line boat tour my son and I took around Manhattan. For everyone who thinks history is boring, you will thoroughly enjoy how he gives you a recap of the how's,when's, where's, and why's of NY. This book models the tour talk he gives while you look around at all of the history and famous sights.
It's light reading that leaves you with an education! He published this by himself so enjoy a handmade product full of his humor and unique twist on the Big Apple. Want to know where that phrase came from? This is where to look!

We were lucky enough to get on a boat of the NY Circle Line where Malachy Murray held a microphone in his hand - and the attention of his audience as well. He made history come alive, and through his colourful comments on NYC the two hours on that boat went by without a boring minute.
This book is a fabulous way to remember this great tour of Manhattan, providing anecdotes and facts, and all of it in Malachy Murray's unique style.
Well done, Malachy :-)

This is an excellent resource for anyone--manager or not--looking to bring out the best in their professional and personal relationships. As a former manager who's now self-employed, I wish I'd been briefed on Loehr and Emerson's secrets to coaching while trying to lead a team of 30. The Manager's Guide to Coaching is packed with so many clear, common-sense, intuitive tips that would have made me a much better leader! Now that I work for myself, I've already begun putting their essential life-skills to use when dealing with clients, friends, and family. The guide's concise, step-by-step approach lays out invaluable strategies for untangling difficult situations, communicating directly and compassionately, and moving stalled dialogue to the next level. This book has changed the way I interact with others--reminding me to be curious and ask open-ended questions, rather than simply giving answers. Whether you're managing a team of 100 or a team of one, do yourself--and your colleagues--a favor and read this book. It almost makes me want to become a manager again!

Both my wife and I found this book extremely helpful. My wife manages a retail store, and found the lessons and suggestions perfect for letting her coach her staff more effectively. I used the ideas in my own personal consulting business, and it has helped me be more effective in my business relations working with clients and contractors. I appreciate when someone (like the authors) can explain some of these concepts in an easy, understandable way, so this book was perfect for a variety of positions -- whether you're a professional manager or just someone who wants to use coaching to improve your own habits. Kudos to the authors for making this a fun and easy read!

An excellent book for those who want and need to be a coach in the workplace. In fact, this book is a 'coach' itself to the coach who is trying to coach! My first exposure to the concept of coaching--makes me want to learn more. Have purchased other copies for other managers in our office.

This book is a must for anyone who works in any industry interacting with people. Whether you are looking for improved ways to motivate your employees in order to achieve greater success or looking to enhance your own personal management relation skills, this is the perfect guide for you.

Whether you're a CEO or a new manager, working with this book will make your life easier.

Received the book in 6 days.. Well packaged, perfect condition. My first time to order over the "net".

This is a great book for everyone. It has great ideas, tips and applications to complete your project.

Really informative! A must have for your library! The author carefully, thoroughly explains EVERYTHING for all skill levels. Beautiful pictures highlight the steps. I appreciate that this book is spiral bound; makes instructions easier to access as you learn the technique. I have been sewing clothing for many years and just started quilting. This book is so helpful on many levels, (needles, thread, stabilizers, techniques); your projects will immediately take on the look of a highly skilled crafter. I consider her THE expert on this topic; machine appliqué from A-Z is all here. Highly recommended!!

This is a very lovely book, it has great pictures lots of examples, easy instruction and many tips. there is something for sewer's of all levels.

Mastering Machine Applique: The Complete Guide Including Invisible Machine Applique, Satin Stitch, Blanket Stitch and Much More

If I could only purchase one book about machine applique, this would be my choice. Harriet goes into excellent detail about adjusting and setting up the sewing machine for applique, explains how to select and use necessary supplies, and provides clear, detailed instructions and step by step photos for a variety of styles of machine applique.

Harriet fills in the missing blanks left in many other resources and goes beyond the basics, while being clear enough for a beginner to use. I highly recommend this book.

A friend loaned her copy to me thinking I would enjoy it. I Enjoyed it so much that I bought my own plus 2 copies for family and friends. It is thought provoking, inspirational and comforting to read the Angel's messages and Doreen's comments. Anyone who is interested in confirming that Angels exist and are constantly with us will benefit from this book.

Love it! I thought it was so good, that I have given it as a gift.

Reading "Messages from Your Angels" is like getting a big hug from someone you love! It made me more keenly aware of my surroundings, i.e., music playing on the radio, the scent of someone's perfume, wind chimes "singing" in a soft breeze. It made me feel in touch with those who have passed on and helped me feel more at peace living in their absence. Pork Chops and Applesauce: A Collection of Recipes and Reflections

I bought this book in Audiobook Format. I listen to it frequently and have truly gotten answers I have searched for regarding Angels and their help. I have also purchased it for gifts for friends. It's a truly awesome book.

I love these oracle cards...I always knew the angels were around...I just found out all you have to do is ask them for help and they will be there in a mila-second.....I cannot reccommend this enough...You will not be sorry you got these...I love angels..and they love us in return...

If you like to visit the National Parks or just want to know more about them, this is a great source of information. All National Parks, Monuments, Wildlife Refuges and some National Forests are covered. It is full of pictures and maps that look great. Nice all in one book.

This is an excellent book to use as a planning guide for trips to any of the National Parks in the US. I have been to many of the parks, and without exception the book's advice about how to get there, when to go, what to look for, etc., is excellent in every way. The book is filled with excellent color photography, and accompanying explanatory text with detailed entrance information that is particularly useful in some of the busier parks. There is also some good introductory safety information presented, but as always, it is a good idea to talk to local authorities when arriving (this is especially a good idea in the Alaska parks, many of which are veritably full of bears.)

All the parks are worth seeing, and this book gives a good introduction to them. Among the favorites that I have been to and particularly recommend are Denali National Park, an easy drive from Anchorage, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, on the island of Hawaii (the "Big Island"), Zion National park in Utah, home of some of the most spectacular desert landscape in the world, and Badlands National Park in South Dakota, featuring not only spectacular landscapes, but amazing animals in abundance.

This book is a great place to start; now get going and enjoy the beautiful National Parks!

We originally owned an older edition of this book and just purchased this to replace it. We have been to many National Parks over the years and have found this guide to be the best one out there. The drives as listed are fantastic... you won't miss anything if you have this book along with you!

I obtained the first edition of this book over ten years ago, and have kept that along with the latest edition in my book collection ever since. At that time I had never been to a national park, but this little book insipired me to visit 35 of them, volunteer in two, and work seasonally as a ranger at one.

This book is packed with useful and interesting information about each of the parks, and it is a pleasure to read even when not planning a trip. I highly recommend it.

We recently purchased this book just before our four-national-parks tour. The book not only gives you an overview of the parks, practical information such as how to get there, and nearby lodging etc., it has very good recommendation of must-see stops, and different levels of hikes you can take and what to expect. We used the book at every park and it helped us effectively use our time and it is a joy to read even without going to the parks.

This is a 50 card deck created by literary escort, Naomi Epel who would get writing advice/ideas from the authors that she toted around. She used an index card system where she had wrote phrases or questions. When she was feeling stuck, she'd pull out a card to induce ideas.

The cards have words, suggestions, ideas to help pull you out of being stuck or to spark your creativity with your writing. Accompanying the cards is a book that is slightly larger than the cards. The book contains suggested uses for the cards and meanings. I like in the introduction where Naomi says: "The spontaneity of pulling cards freed me from having to be too self-directive and my writing began to flow."

I have enjoyed using the cards and the book is interesting. I have been keeping the cards beside my computer when I write, and sometimes when I take a break I'll shuffle and see what comes up. This morning when I went to my computer, (after reading a book that had me thinking about writing down some goals)I looked at the cards sitting atop a pile of books. The top card facing me read: "Set realistic goals." -Wow, maybe they're psychic too!

The cards and book come in a nice box. Mine haven't been back in the box since I got them. This is a great gift for writers or anyone who enjoys creativity and expanding their thinking.

I bought the book used here sans cards and the book itself is interesting. It has about five references to the wonderful writer Julie Smith whose work I'm reading now as a result. She's terrific and until now I had not considered myself a mystery reader.

A few of the topics/ideas in the are common sense (well, actually they all are), but I am surprised at how having them in one place is inspirational. I wish I had this book on my writer's retreat last weekend for a craft lesson presentation.

The edition I have is a small paperback and has a colorful, interesting cover. It would make a great gift.

So, in short, I recommend the book as a gift for writer friends or for yourself to nurture your creative side. I'm so torn between the two, I'll buy another copy.

My soon-to-be published friend Debra introduce me to The Observation Deck -- which I now lovingly call "a writing class in a box."

This is not new, published in 1998, so I was late to join the fan club, and when I tell other friends about it, some look at me patiently and say: You just found it now!

The idea (should you choose to accept this mission) is to use the deck of get-off-your-duff cards to urge you out of writer's block.

This may sound melodramatic, but it has changed my life -- as a writer, editor, listener and observer of people, places and things.

When writer's block hits, pick from over 20 cards that might say: Take a walk; or zoom in and out; explore the underside; follow the scent.... You get the idea. My favorite is: EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER.

The purse-sized, 160-page book has a chapter on each of the "pushes" on the cards. My book is highlighted in yellow, with X in red and Q for wonderful quotes. I read a little, think a lot, and then an idea, or a new way to look at an idea that has been rumbling and grumbling around in my head pops into my thought process.

If you are wannabe writer (or better writer), this would be a great self-gift or for family or friends who are writers.

These pretty cards are an excellent device to jump-start ideas when that sneaky writer's block comes up. Great for brainstorm sessions and getting ideas organized. This is a fun tool for those who love cards - playing cards, tarot decks, and affirmations. Creative minds will have a blast using this "ingredient" in their recipe of book writing!

"The Observation Deck" is a cute boxed set from Naomi Epel for writers who suffer from writers block or other inspiration malfunctions.

The set from Epel contains 50 cards meant to inspire thoughts, stories or other ways of thinking during the writing process. A little book is also included that contains techniques that have worked for other writers such as "Eavesdrop" a little trick apparently used by famous writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Eudora Welty and many others. The book is more effective than the cards and I would like to see that thought continued in larger volume by Epel.

This set is a nice handy tool to have at hand when doubting your worth as a writer. Grab it for inspiration but rely on your own observations.

Both my kids are enjoying this book, hopefully absorbing lots of good manners !!

Good book bought it for my daughter she really enjoyed reading it. A+++++++++

Listen, I have loved American Girl dolls since I was seven years old (it's probably because of their adorable outfits), but i can't say the same for the books, especially not this one. My mom got it for me as kind of a joke. The girls in this book are completely unrealistic. The good ones are so perfect, sweet, and innoccent. I just feel like screaming at them "can't you ever do anything wrong for once in your life?" According to American Girl, if you're not a what they consider a charming young lady, you're impolite. I try to act as polite as I can, but that doesn't mean acting like a little goody two shoes. (I know this sounds incredibley immature, but I couldn't think of a better way to say it). The so called real life situations are not very helpful. How many times have you heard the story of the girl who made plans with her friend to go shoppping on saturday, only to find out that she's hanging out with her other friends instead? Trust me, it's a pretty typical cenario that the guidance counslers at my school use as an example all the time. I will say something good about it: on page 69 there's a helpful piece of advice on what to do if you're chewing on a piece of meat and you get a piece of gristle stuck in your mouth. It happens to me all the time.

This book surpassed all my expectations!!! I teach kids with social skills and anger management problems in the state school system in NSW Australia. This book has got it all! In an easy to read and understand format, my students can have the information on do's and don'ts explained. It is coming in really handy with some pre adolescent girls with Asperger's Syndrome. I highly recommend it. My colleagues with adolescent daughters keep borrowing it off me too. It's for everyone, I even learned a thing or too!

This was the first book I got from American Girl when I was little, and I really enjoyed it and remember being quite impressed with it even back then. The illustrations are cute, and the texts/lectures are quite useful. The author tries to convey lessons in different ways and in a manner in which girls would be more receptive to them, including through quizzes and games, all of which are all good common sense. Topics covered include everyday manners, greeting people, hanging out with friends, using good manners in public, staying polite but firm in your personal safety, eating at fancy restaurants, etc. The tone is not the least bit condescending, but personable, like many of the American Girl books, I would later come to discover. There is a newer edition to this book (A SMART GIRL'S GUIDE TO MANNERS), but the text is all the same excepting an addition about online safety and "Netiquette" (with Instant Messaging and emails, etc.).

I read this book and Couchman's Oracle 8 DBA Certification Guide (from Oracle Press). The Exam Cram book did a great job covering the bases needed for the Oracle networking exam. It is very concise and to the point. If you ignore the number of silly typos, the book attacked the topics very well from examination point of view. I think it was a very poor proofreading effort!
I gave a 5 star because the topics are laid out well and details are to the point.

This book contains everything you'll need to pass the Oracle8 Network Administration. It has the good standard Exam Cram format, but it contains more info than the usual Crams do. It's more like a study guide than a study guide companion, without repeating the classic mistake of being too wordy. This is one of my favorite Exam Crams.

Very good book, started from basic knowledge of net8 to advanced options.

Nice to have before you take the DBA Net exam.

This book has very useful tips and is excellent exam guide. Highly recommended.

I bought this book as a complement to Couchman's Oracle 8i DBA Certification Guide (from Oracle Press), because the latter's networking coverage was clearly a rushed effort. The Exam Cram book does an admirable job covering the bases needed for the Oracle networking exam. In general, the material is explained well and concisely. Overall the test questions in the book matched the breadth of those on the real test. There are a couple of notable exceptions. My test had FOUR "fill in the blank with the name of the parameter or view" questions. (Giving V$SHARED_SERVERS instead of V$SHARED_SERVER is wrong). There are no questions of this type in the book. Additionally, the actual test generally asked more demanding questions regarding CMAN and MTS than are in this book (in my opinion).

If you're taking the 8i exam, be sure to look over the Oracle docs on load balancing, which is not fully covered in this volume (which is designated for 8).

This book loses a star due to the sheer volume of silly typos and cut-and-paste errors. A look at Coriolis's errata page (on their web site) for this book reveals over 50 reported errors. I found many more, about one every other page. And on the web site errata page the utility "lsnrctl" is spelled, in multiple places, as "1snrct1" (digit 1 instead of letter l)! Doesn't anyone proofread this stuff? (The author works at the Washington Post!)

Wonderful book like all of Mc Phee's work. However, disappointing in that he did not cover the California orange industry to the same extent he gave Fla. Perhaps another book one day. JMK

Expertly executed. A detailed history of oranges--customs surrounding, growing, marketing, geography--yet if you apply your close reading skills and critical thinking you may find that this work has deeper meaning. Could it also be taking on social issues such as poverty, ignorance, miscenegation, reproductive rights, and just plain old politics. It is certainly intriguing to consider this when drinking in the beauty of the writing and the mastery of weaving a comprehsensive report on all things having to do with oranges. Never dull no matter what your take.

It's forty years now since this brilliant little mandarin of a book appeared. Early reviewers (and readers of McPhee in the New Yorker) were amused and even a bit ill-at-ease at the entertainment that the author squeezed from a subject as apparently banal as oranges.

Fruit, after all, is hardly a subject for serious discourse and therefore must not be a subject for serious readers. But it was hard to avoid the suspicion that there was something more important about the dynamics of everyday life than about the transient political and artistic events that captured 'serious' attention.(Valley of the Dolls was a best seller that same year)

In the years that followed, we saw a growing realization among scholars that ordinary life was worth study. In fact, the suspicion is even raised that ordinary life may be the thing most worth studying. There has been a spate of books examining such mundane topics as salt, the codfish, apples, spices, coffee, sugar and wine. We have had biographies of diseases and inventions and public manias.

Some of this attention to the mundane has been diluted by its focus on the ordinary object as a marker of greater things: sugar stands for colonialism in Sweetness and Power, public napping stands for a cultural of denial in (No) Time for Sleep and so on.
But increasingly the daily lives of ordinary people-the hohum stuff of most of human existence is seen as worth attention.

Remarkably, it turns out that everyday things are often the most fascinating. Here's a book by the man who played the first card in the genre. It remains remarkably readable and charming and its indirectly indicated concerns are very much alive today.

"Oranges" was the first of John McPhee's books I ever read. I found a copy at a thrift store about ten years ago, and was absolutely blown away by it. Since then, I've probably read it another six or eight times. There is so much fascinating information in it, covered in such a beautiful way, that I could probably read it once a month and still find it entertaining. I'm here to buy yet another copy, as I tend to loan out McPhee's books to my friends, whether they ask for them or not. Unlike other books I loan out, my friends eventually return the McPhees, if only in hopes that I'll loan them another one. I always do. Oranges has been away for about a year this time, and I'm feeling a powerful urge to read it again.

Whether a lot of the information in the book is out-dated or not is totally immaterial. McPhee's work is not journalism covering current events, it's brilliant literature on non-fictional subjects, in the same way as the writing of Samuel Pepys is well worth reading today, in spite of all his subjects' being deceased.

I recently read Mr. McPhee's "Survival of the Bark Canoe" again, and found it just as hilarious as ever, and just as informative. Mark Twain couldn't have covered the subject as well, or any more entertainingly.

Aside from the sheer quality of his writing, the great thing about John McPhee is that he's so damned prolific. Any time I see one of his books which isn't already in my collection, I snap it up; yet I still haven't managed to read his entire body of work. But, I'm working at it.

First published in the 1960s, Oranges by twice Pulitzer winning journalist, John McPhee got a limited lease of life back in 2000 when Penguin reissued it as a modern classic. And while it's an interesting little book covering pretty much everything to do with oranges, the reportage within doesn't so much as ground the book in its time than date it

You may think that there is not much to say about fruit in general, never mind being specific. But that's where you'd be wrong as, it turns out, the orange has a catalogue of facts literally bursting with juicy trivia. It begins with uses for the fruit around the world, covering methods of eating, seasoning, and even cleaning the floor and removing grease. It explores the etymology of both the fruit's name, and it's scientific name, Citrus Sinensis. Along the way, as it spouts nugget of information in quick succession, we see the orange in history as it began its two thousand year westward journey from China to the Americas until orange growing and juicing became a worldwide industry within itself.

Splitting up chapters of trivia, McPhee shares the outcomes of his meetings with orange barons, orange growers, and other assorted industry types. While interesting to read, the text is littered with anecdotes containing names that will mean nothing to anyone other than their immediate families. And, to top it off, there is a section whereby we learn of new methods being introduced to improve the industry that, even if you have no experience of it, you know has long since been superceded by methods. It doesn't take a genius to know that in a world rife with technology and technological gains, that the huge workforce mentioned in Oranges has long since been made redundant or replaced by immigrant workers.

McPhee's style is immensely readable, the way he dances from fact to fact a delight to read, and when he injects some humour to his catalogue of orange facts, you can't help but raise a smile - at the joke and in appreciation of its wording. His anecdotes do drag, and I think it wouldn't be uncommon to breath a sigh of relief once they conclude.

It's a quick read and a quirky subject, and McPhee's research is to be commended, although much of the journalistic writing -reading it forty years on from publication - has soured. That said, if you know nothing of the orange industry - and oranges in general - then Oranges is a fun little book that should quench that specific hole in your trivia.