Massachusetts Books

Can peace and contentment be found behind a computer monitor and camera lens? Casey Alexander thinks she's found her niche in Virginia Beach doing just that. After her father abandoned her and her mother died from cancer, Casey is searching for the meaning of her existence. At her mother's urging before she died, Casey accepted Christ as her Savior, but she thinks that's as far as her belief in salvation needs to go. Besides, why get fanatical about a God who allows such discord in the world?

A web designer, freelance photographer, and partner in publishing a local women's magazine, Casey finds more satisfaction in reading every mystery book she can get her hands on. When she hears the police believe her Aunt Lydia committed suicide, Casey races to Pine Mills, Massachusetts, planning to pull all her mystery solving know-how to the fore to prove her aunt met with foul play.

What happens next is a veritable roller coaster ride. Where the Truth Lies is a cozy lover's dream--so filled with red herring you could serve it on rye crackers.

The team of Elizabeth Ludwig and Janelle Mowery is a match made in mystery writer's heaven. They blend their styles in seamless fashion, so that you're left wondering who wrote what. No matter. The end result is very satisfying. I highly recommend this book and personally can't wait for the next installment.

What would you do if your aunt went missing? Especially if the police tell you she has committed suicide but there is no body, only a note. Casey Alexander, when faced with this dilemma in Where the Truth Lies by Elizabeth Ludwig and Janelle Mowery, digs in her heels and starts sleuthing. No matter the frightening and dangerous actions that are taken to try to keep her from delving any deeper into her aunts disappearance, Casey keeps going.

She begins the search alone in her aunt's sleepy town of Pine Mills, but soon pairs up with local nursery owner Luke Kerrigan to follow the trail. Or does she pair up with him? As much as she finds Luke attractive, she has suspicions about his involvement in Liddy's disappearance. Does Luke have a reason to want Aunt Liddy dead? If so, did he kill her? Is he the one behind the threatening incidents that keep occurring? These are all questions Casey must sift through and answer even as her heart tells her to trust him.

Though there is much more to this plot, lots of unexpected turns and surprises, I'll stop right here before I inadvertently give a piece of the plot away. Wouldn't want to spoil the great twists in store for you. Twists that are guaranteed to keep you up at night reading when you should be in bed sleeping.

The Ludwig and Mowery writing duo have penned a solid mystery with a sweet romance that is equally as enjoyable. The characters are interesting and believable, the writing is tight, crisp and fast moving. Where the Truth Lies is the first cozy mystery in the Massachusetts Mayhem Mystery and I for one, look forward to the second in the series.

The only thing better than the outstanding art design of this up and coming guide to dining in Boston and Cambridge is in fact the restaurants chosen for this delightful publication. All of Boston's favorite restaurants are featured, with map, menus, and a picture of the dining room included. Restaurants are grouped by location, which is helpful when you have an area of town in mind. All in all I place its value up there with my Zagat's guide to dining in Boston, and find that these two publications compliment each other nicely.

I bought this book in the middle of a book buying spree. Unsureat first, it is now an essential part of my dining guidecollection. My girlfriend and I use it quite often. The sidebars with sample menus and other tidbits of important information like hours and dress code are really helpful. I've discovered many new restaurants with this guide. Highly recommended if you live in or around Boston, and even if you plan on visiting the city for vacation. Thanks for the great dining publication!

Great story line, captures your interest immediately. Certain to have young readers enjoy a bit of Bay State history. Terrific cover. Should become a classic!
Looking forward to more from Nancy J. Kelley!

On page one Nancy J. Kelley transported me to a place and time in Old New England that has never felt more real. And her brilliant story about the loving, complex, smart and courageous Hannah kept me there throughout. This is a book ear marked for all my nieces and nephews for Christmas 2002, but make no mistake: this wonderful story is also for adults who wish to be treated to a beautifully written novel about a fascinating time in Boston's history. Write on, Nancy Kelley!

This is an excellent book. It details the shooting of Rebecca Wight and Claudia Brenner, two lesbians hiking near the Appalachian Trail in Adams County, Pennsylvania. When Stephen Roy Carr, the "mountain man," saw them engaged in sexual activity, he shot at them with a .22 caliber rifle, killing Wight and injuring Brenner. What follows is a reconstruction of those events, Carr's subsequent capture, and the legal proceedings that followed.

Pohlman does an excellent job describing the events that occured that day in the woods in May 1988 - so well that it reads like a murder mystery. He is also equally strong in presenting the legal issues at hand. Did Carr shoot the women because of his anti-homosexual beliefs, or was he simply jealous? Could the victims and their families expect justice in a conservative small town such as Gettysburg, PA, where the jury could conceivably lessen Carr's crime because of their own anti-homosexual beliefs? The author makes good use of interviews with the prosecuting and defense attorneys in the case, as well as with the State Police officers associated with the investigation. One quickly realizes that what would appear to be an open-and-shut case - no one really belived Carr *didn't* shoot the women - can easily develop into a complcitaed web of legal issues. This happens as easily in small-town America as it does in O.J. Simpson's L.A.

I grew up in Adams County, and I was in junior high when this incident happened. I remembered hearing about it and even remember seeing it in the local news paper. For me, it was incredibly interesting to go back as an adult and read about these events. Just recently, I was able to use the author's description of the crime scene to retrace the steps Brenner and Wight took on that fateful day. That should give you some idea as to how detailed this book is.

Pohlman, a political science professor, has done an excellent job of shedding light on the inner workings of the criminal justice system and raising issues with which every thoughtful American should be concerned. I read this book in two sittings and found it fascinating. The story is dramatic, the writing tight and clear, and the treatment of the issues even-handed.

Wow, this is a fascinating book! After reading the first few pages of the story, I couldn't put it down and read almost half the book in one sitting! It is an autobiography, but reads like a novel with lots of interesting tales. Made me feel fortunate to live in America, my heart goes out to others less fortunate. It also helped me to understand health and healing more. I learned a lot and would recommend it to everybody!

This is a mesmerizing book and I could not put it down. It combines health and spirituality and how Ann Wigmore has been able to help so many sick people. It provides the framework for her later work and is really an autobiography of her life.

Lisbeth is an independent-minded woman - at a time when disregarding decorum set gossip flying and petticoats ruffling. She's engaged to marry her childhood sweetheart, William, who admires and respects her independence. With their wedding a few days away, they look forward to finally getting down to the business of living out their dreams. The October Gale of 1841 changes all that - and sets in motion a series of events that changes Lisbeth, William, and the people of Misty Cove forever.

In the talented hands of author, Nikki Leigh, Widows Walk paints a vivid picture of life in an 1840s Massachusetts fishing village and Lisbeth proves the power of tenacity and unwavering love in overcoming the hardships that women of that period faced. As I read the story, there were times when I could almost hear the wind howl, taste the spray of salt water, and feel William's tender embrace.

I found Widows Walk to be an enchanting, inspirational, heartwarming and heartwrenching journey. If you love a story about a strong woman and a stronger love, don't miss this one.

Widow's Walk is an electrifying story. I love books that are filled with tender romance and anything with lighthouses. Every beautiful detail in this poignant read is depicted brilliantly. The characters and their conversations along with the whole complete setting really enhance and make it unique. It is such a forceful read that I found myself relating to the characters in many ways. They reach out and touch down to the soul. Lizbeth is such a robust woman and with William she seems to stand even taller. I am so glad that he was an understanding man and not like some of the other citizens in that time frame. Nikki Leigh shapes a book that excels, gives hope and proves, romance is still alive. With her talent she composes a book where this reader visualized everything as if right in the middle of the storm, right down to the slashing waves. Her in-depth writing exhibits Lizbeth's pain and joy throughout the story. She knows how to craft a masterpiece that touches not only the heart but also the soul. With a colorful well-rounded cast of secondary characters and a picturesque setting hard to forget, this reader found this book an absolute breath-taking, gratifying read. It is one that I could read again and again.

Hard to know where to start praising this wonderful book. Chapter after chapter, Sarah Deutsch tosses off insights like a dog shaking water off its back. For historians coming up behind her, there is a thesis idea on virtually every page. In a section entitled "Protegees, Politics, and Class (1909-1931)," Deutsch identifies political partisanship and patronage networks as the kind of disruptive or countervailing forces that now, as then, may skew news reporting and divide individuals who might otherwise work together for a social good. An example: "When the headlines blared, 'Women Republicans Opposed [the appointment of] Miss Meehan,' women Republicans insisted that the issue, instead, was nonpartisanship. Meehan's was not the only patronage case being disputed after a decade of Republican hegemony so strong that the party's members had forgotten it was a party and not a nonpartisan organization. The women (and the fewer men) involved in the dispute deployed the language of expertise, political hackery, and gender to make their case. Meehan's supporters spoke, in addition, the language of class and party." Women and the City also has an excellent index.

Not only the legal status but the personal outlooks of women changed immeasurably
in the period this book covers; the subtitle speaks of space and power, but Deutsch
has also given us a fine overview of intellectual change: what women thought, and
why they thought in those ways, during an era of astonishing industrial and social
development. Through her research, we can see why the women of Henry James
were not the same as those of F. Scott Fitzgerald--and they were very different.

We are used to sympathizing with the plight of working class women, and giving
great credit to the founders of the settlement houses and political groups that helped
them, but until now I had never realized how class differences affected attitudes, and
how perfectly reasonable women of either set found great difficulty in
understanding how those of the other thought and felt. This book has helped me get
a better understanding of both groups.

In recent months I've been reading heavily in Boston history and in women's history
of this period. This book is far and away the best thing I've found. Having done
historical research using primary sources, I can tell you this author has done an
immense amount of work, and it has paid off. She uses not only the minutes of
meetings and legal reports, but personal letters and contemporary novels to tell the
story. She writes clearly, and the book is well organized. If you want a real feel for
the lives of women during a period of tremendous change, this book is the best place
I know to get it. Deutsch straightens out a lot of misconceptions, and helps to clarify
an extremely complex period.

Didnt know what to expect when i bought it read it and loved it. great non fiction story.

This is a great book about the way a man (my father) makes a hard and arduous life into on that is wonderful and fullfilling. Now gone his memory lives on in this book. For those who knew him it was a great lose and he is loved and missed. I love you and will always keep you close to my heart.

Clifford Ashley went to sea on a yankee whaler at a time when he felt that whaling would soon end as a viable business. He was right of course, his trip was one of the last and we are lucky today that someone had the foresight to preserve this information for the history books. The real business of whaling was for the oil taken from the whales blubber. The newly introduced practice of pumping petroleum oil from underground quickly made whaling a costly alternative instead of the prime source. This is the author's first hand account of whaling men and methods in the early 1900's. Fascinating stuff.

An eye witness acount, writen by a man who went to sea when he knew the age of whaling was coming to an end. The most incredible book on whaling I have ever read. A definate must buy!

This is definately one item that every public course golfer in eastern MA should have ( no, you can't borrow mine! ). Any question you'd have about any course within an hour or two's drive is answered here. Directions, greens fee info, course ratings, tee time info, course descriptions and more. Whoever put this book together has really done a service for golfers throughout the region. There may be two feet of snow on the ground as I'm writing this ( 3/10/01 ) but I've already started my wish list of "must play" courses for 2001; all taken from the pages of YOUR GUIDE TO PUBLIC GOLF COURSES.

All the information you need in a size that easily fits into your golf bag. A perfect resource for golfing in New England including interesting highlights of the courses