Caribbean Books

This book takes us on a journey in photographs and words to the island of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies. The 73 truly magnificent full-colour, full-spread, photographs show us all aspects of this exotic Caribbean island: Its Grace Bay Beach (which is rightfully regarded as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world), other places of interest, its beautiful animal and plant life, its beautiful children and beautiful sunsets. The accompanying text touches the past, present and future of the island, and invites us to sit still for a moment and reflect upon the beauty that is presented by the nature surrounding us. This book will be a joy for all: readers who have visited the island before, readers who have not been there yet, and readers who are generally interested in the still untouched Caribbean. The author Ryofu Pussel has been on the Turks and Caicos Islands on many occasions for a long time. He is integrated in the "every day" life of Providenciales and knows the many facets of the beautiful islands and its friendly people.

(quote from Francisco Vazquez, review in Hispanic Outlook on Higher Education) The scholarly, yet concise and readable "Before the Boom: Latin American Revolutionary Novels of the 1920s," is a treasure, whether you are interested in Latino artistic contributions to world culture; the relationship between literary, political, and scientific disocurses, or the Taoist or postmodern nature of language. The book introduces English readers to a heretofore invisible area of Latin American literature known as Vanguardia: an artistic rebellion rich in innovation and technique (elsewhere known as Modernism), but overshadowed by the later Boom writers (1960s). On many levels, this is definitely a must-read. Dr. Martinez has done a fine job of rescuing a forgotten morsel of Latin American literature. Her book makes it possible to enjoy novels that not only preceded, but actually carved the way for the Boom and for many other "postmodern" writers.

Ex DEA agent turned Private Investigator Penn Gwinn has been hired to find a friend's daughter, missing on her honeymoon in Belize.

So begins an action packed novel in true Harold R. Miller style.

In his hunt for the missing girl, Penn and his partner PZ cross paths with the CIA, DIA, DEA and the USCG, all of whom are somehow entangled in the largest drug running syndicate in the Caribbean, not to mention a notorious S&M porno operation in San Francisco.

With three plots running simultaneously throughout the novel, culminating in a highly satisfactory, yet surprising ending, I would recommend The Belize File to those readers seeking an action-packed journey into the world of the Private Investigator.

This very neat little paperback book is a colorful introduction to the Channel Islands, located in the Gulf of St. Malo between England and France. The pictures are wonderful and the text is full of the long and distinguished history of these islands. This book made me want to drop everything and go visit there! Really! Buy a copy of this book today, and maybe you will want to go there too.

Although this book is small, it really packs a punch. It's loaded with tons of information that will help you on your Virgin Islands trip. It's not big and bulky either, so it lessens the packing space. We used it in conjunction with Frommer's Virgin Islands and that was all that we needed for our week in paradise. If you are looking for a book of history or detailed background though, this one isn't for you.

Great, but get Fodor's 2000 not the 199

In the course of reading this book (which I could hardly put down) I constantly alternated between hysterical laughter and awe/disbelief! Sobey has collected some very amusing newspaper articles that show those of us in the rest of the world what Bermuda is like underneath it all. In a country where there is so little major crime, the most petty things become huge issues. And all are reported very, very thoroughly in the newspaper. And the public interest stories make me think they have a lot of slow news days in Bermuda! Some examples:

--The man who returns a pair of socks to the store that he bought 48 years ago (and the clerk exchanged them!!);

--The case of the man accused of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, because he couldn't stay on his horse. The judge threw it out, claiming the last time he looked the horse was an animal, not a vehicle!

--The couple who wake up to find a strange man in the bed with them.

People go to court (and often to prison) for stealing milk, a glass of club soda, beef....they break windows regularly, and many "criminals" claim alcoholism as a mitigating circumstance.

One of the funniest things in the book (to me) are the letters to the editor at the end of each chapter. You think the newspaper writers are funny? Wait til you see what the citizens write!!

I'm on my way to Bermuda for a week, and I must say I'll look at things a little differently after reading this book. Not in a bad way, of course......

This is an elegantly produced book, with thoughtful and scholarly writing by Sylvia Shorto, who is one of Bermuda's most knowledgable antiques experts and whose contribution lifts this book out of the realm of just another pretty Bermuda picture book. Ian MacDonald-Smiths pictures are well done and provide an excellent overview of the development of Bermudian architecture and style.

I got this book when planning a 20th anniversary trip to the Caribbean with my husband. I hadn't been to the Caribbean before and was overwhelmed by the choices. The book helped me narrow down my choice to two wonderful hotels on Grenada, an island I had never thought of visiting. The book's descriptions are vivid and accurate.

BEYOND RICE AND BEANS; THE CARIBBEAN LATINO GUIDE TO EATING HEALTHY WITH DIABETES comes in a unique English/Spanish format and assures its value will reach into the Spanish community as well. Here are food lists, exchange lists and sample meal plans geared to Latino culture and foods, offering shopping lists, health insights, and the basics. From how to read a nutrition label to balancing a meal, this isn't your usual recipe book - plenty of those elsewhere - but a fine diabetes management guide especially valuable to non-English speakers with different ethnic foods on board.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch