New Jersey Books

Owen Keane is perhaps the most unassuming, reluctant "hero" I've encountered recently between the covers! In fact, his reluctance to reveal much about himself was part of what made this an interesting mystery read. Not only does the reader get to wonder about the "case" he is working, we also wonder about his own background. What happened in his life that pushed him to become such a self effacing "hero"? (We only get a hint here and there.) In spite of this, he manages to uncover some very obscure truths, both about himself and the case. I look forward to reading more about him, just to satisfy my curiosity. He is enigmatic in himself. His relationships with his closest friends are also a bit out of the ordinary. Makes me want to know more about him. Guess that's a good ploy by the author to drive sales, and create a following of Owen Keane fans....

Philadelphia private detective Frank Sweeney visits Atlantic City searching for the missing brother of his best friend. It seems that Nick D'Angelo was a compulsive gambler, who vanished about six months ago. Frank quickly learns that Nick died in a fire set by an arsonist hit man, whose modus operandi is to trap his intended victims and watch them horribly suffer as they burn to death. ...... Frank starts to investigate the mysterious fire breather, who apparently has killed other people with his fire bombs. He traces the last days of Frank and asks questions of those individual who knew the former cop just before he died. As he comes closer to identifying the culprit behind the fiery deaths, Frank realizes that he himself might become the next seared casualty trapped in the heat of the night. ...... DEATH IN A DRY SEASON is a fiery thriller that will please fans of action novels and lovers of the high technology supporting today's gambling industry. Frank's personality is a strange combination of eastern philosophy with western inner city street smarts. Most of the time this works well, but occasionally the character appears a bit off centered. The story line is predictable, but is fun to read anyway as John Wells demonstrates he has the talent to take his private detective very far in today's market. ......Harriet Klausner

I own the 4th edition of this book printed in 1976 so it's almost as old as I am. Obviously some information is out of date, such as Bertram Island and the Terry Lou Zoo, which are both out of business. Regardless, it is still a very solid summary of things to do in NJ. It covers all the bases, from historical places, to parks, even golf courses (!!)

Sumaries are short and concise which allows for a lot of information to be packed into a small book. A very decent book.

The incredibly over the top and amazing space warfare continues.

There are a handful of Second Stage Lensman, those good enough at their craft to go beyond the Gray, and receive further treatment and training from the Arisians.

Kimball Kinnison is one of them, and he and his fellows, some of the best aliens you will meet in SF books, go out to do further battle. That is not all though, as Second Stage Lensmen abilities are ideally suited to spying and information gathering. The Second Stage powers include the 'sense of perception', an ability to sense what is going on around you, which basically gives you x-ray vision and the ability to see in the dark, among other things. Mind control is another.

The time spent with Nadreck, Worsel and Tregonsee, the other Second Stage Lensmen, is quite enjoyable.

The book, which I read for a feminism class, actually turned out to be one that I liked. The book focuses on a small, truck-stop restaurant called Route. The book tells stories of women's work in the restaurant and everyday problems that they face.

Most people never realize some things about waitresses if they've never been one. For example, waitresses' minimum wage is about 3 dollars less than that of normal jobs. They are expected to make up the difference in tips. After reading material such as this, sympathy for waitresses will go out even more. These are the same people that have to put up with rude and picky customers.

Managers seem to have it almost worse. Although, managers are usually thought of as having a higher and better position, this is very untrue in the restaurant business. Managers get minimum wage, but no tips, sometimes making less than the waiters. And because the turn-over rate is so high for managers, they've often work fewer time than the waitresses, which makes them seem as less of an authoritative figure. And, the manager has to deal with personnel problems and fill in for anyone who doesn't show up for work, or who quits on the spot. It's actually much tougher than one would think.

The books tells of how much waitresses put up with and the low wages that the make. I would recommend this book, if just for that fact that it opens up people's eyes to the fact that waitresses really do depend on tips - so don't stiff them. It's also a wonderful book to read just for enjoyment because it keeps your attention with different stories and interviews of several ladies, so in that sense, it's almost more of a story than a boring book of research.

I have just recently discovered the extremely talented and prolific writer Joyce Carol Oates. Currently, I have read three of her novels,MAN CRAZY, BROKE HEART BLUES and DOUBLE DELIGHT. Her writing style is always interesting, but at times, unpredictable, and while some of her novels are conventional, others are more free-style and sometimes difficult to get through. DOUBLE DELIGHT, written under the pseudonym of Rosamond Smith, is one of her more conventional novels, an intricately plotted, psychological thriller that keeps you always guessing. A story of seduction, sexual obsession and deception, that drives an ordinary, upstanding man, Terrence Greene to commit extraordinary crimes in the name of passion. DOUBLE DELIGHT is an excellent book for the JCO novice to begin with. She is a wonderful writer, one of the masters of the psychological suspense genre.

Living in a town you will never understand its history unless you read something or ask older folks. Dover used to be a more important town than it is today(today it has little setting it apart from neighboring towns) with the Morris Canal formerly passing through it, along with two train lines, being home to one of the finest theaters in the region, the Baker Theatre(64), housing a shopping center that is now gone at the Bassett Highway(15, 128). Alot has changed since then, what once was Billy Ford's Pond has been drained in the 1960s and is now a park called Crescent Field(122), the Morris Canal has been drained and filled as it has been superceded by the train and the automobile. This book, consisting of historical pictures compiled together thematically by chapter, with long descriptive captions; ensures these changes and history are more accessible to those interested. *[Note]* The numbers in parenthesis refer to pages in the work I cited.

This book provides a pretty good history of the much-maligned Port Authority. One of the book's main strengths is Mr. Doig's ability to weave together biographies of key PA players with the pressing issues that have confronted the PA during its 80+ years. The PA was the first of the so-called authorities: deliberately established to avoid the usual political "game." As such, it has offended many important political leaders, clipping their wings on a range of issues. I think that Mr. Doig addresses this nicely, exposing the provincialism that is common in New York and New Jersey. On a critical note, I think that Mr. Doig spends a little too much time on abstract political theory.

For those of us who grew up in NJ's Jewish community, particularly in Newark, this book reawakens some wonderful memories. It captures the feeling of a place now vanished, though it "endures" in the minds of those who lived there.

Helmreich has a gift for searching out names of people and places that defined this unique community, with many anecdotes and quotes. I enjoyed every page of it.

"The Esso Collectors Handbook" is perhaps the best book for collectors interested in gasoline memoribillia by far. I enjoyed
looking at rare items given away at Esso and Enco stations nationwide. My favorite part of the book is a collection of Tiger
giveaways. This is such a good book.