Beauty Books

Russell Smith is a Canadian writer whose work appears in The Globe and Mail, as well as the Toronto-based website, xyyz.com. In this little book, Smith provides timeless advice for selecting clothing that is both well-made and eminently stylish.

For example, he walks the reader through both what to look for in finely crafted dress shirts, ties, shoes, and sportjackets, and also gives detailed advice on choosing colors, patterns, and fabrics.

Though he clearly appreciates classic men's clothing, Smith departs greatly from dogmatists like Alan Flusser, reconciling the best of the "rules" with the sartorial realties of 21st century. Arguably the best of the modern style guides.

I have obtained the askmen.com book and details style guide as well and this stood out as a great read through, it's more like reading a book than a guide. The author shares his thoughts and ideas rather than imposing a strict set of rules on you. It's up to you to agree or disagree, but it's a great set of parameters and constraints to lead you down the right path. I wish there were more visual pictorial references, but then again you'd be copying rather than coming up with one's own style. The focus of the book is the clothes, it's purpose and history. If you want something more of a visual guide I'd recommend the details style guide.

I read the local library's copy and just purchased a copy to keep. I read through several men's style books a couple months ago and I found this one to be the best. It covers all parts of the man's wardrobe (shoes, suits, shirts, ties, coats, etc.) and it's very well-versed on the history of men's style and where conventions of dress originated. It's not just a history lesson though, it has a lot to say about how to dress, how to look for quality, and what a man needs to build a versatile and tasteful wardrobe.

Good book, well written, and has illustrations which are very useful ... for novices like me from Asia who don't know which part of a garment is called what, this was indeed a good book to read ... would hav been better if they had color fotos and info on matching skin color with clothing ... but in all worth the price paid ...

I was amazed when I found out what was going on with Pepper, but it was cool because that really happens and people could realate to it.If you want to find out what is going on with Pepper you have to read the book.

I REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK.ALLISON GAYLORD A.K.A THE VIRUS CREATED HAVOC.I WAS HAPPY TO SEE ALLISON SCAMED AT HER OWN TRICK.I HOPE THINGS WORK OUT FOR MOLLY,HER SWEET DAD,AND HER OVERPROTECTIVE MOM.I ALSO WONDER IF THINGS WILL ACTUALLY WORK OUT WITH DEAN AND KATIE FROM THE SOUTHERN PAGEANT.AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST WHO WILL WIN THE NATIONAL PAGEANT?

I've read quite a few of Cherie's books, but this series really stands out( along with my favorite series; TRASH). I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to see what happens at the next PAGEANT! I also read the first book in this series, and I just wish that this book told a little bit more about what's happening between Dean and Katie.

This book rocks! What is going to happen with Molly, her mom and dad? And what about Justin and Sarah; are they ever gonna be in contact with each other? And Pepper--what's going to happen with her and Matt? Is Shylo going to steal the crown from her half-sister, Shelby? Read it to find out!~

I just finished reading the book "Miss America,1945:Bess Myerson and the year that changed our lives" and i tell you it's very thought provoking book about what Bess Myerson went through during her reign as Miss America with all the prejudices that she went through.Although it's set in 1945,It's still holds true today.You can honestly say that from the end of World War 2 up to the late 1940's was an important period of change in America where a Jewish girl from the Bronx achieved the dream of every girl who wanted to win the crown of Miss America and two years later Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball.Over all it's a great book and it's something that everyone must have for their book collection.

Ably narrated by Bess Myerson and Adam Grupper, Miss America 1945 is Susan Dworkin's engaging rendition of Bess Myerson's memoirs of her self as a naive Jewish girl from the Bronx, a scheming beauty pageant promoter, and rampant anti-Semitism within the context of a national post-war euphoria. What is particularly fascinating is Myerson's candid revelations of what it was like to be the first (and only) Jewish Miss America and her emergent political activism that resulted from her experiences with the beauty pageant. This abridged-by-the-author audiobook edition features flawless production values and has a running time of 5 hours, 10 minutes. Miss America 1945 is an ardently recommended addition to personal and library audiobook collections.

Absolutely intriguing portrait of a truly fascinating and remarkable woman, not to mention a unique era in history. Bess Myerson symbolized so much, at a very important time in American history. Well worth reading/listening to!

There she goes, Miss America. And Bess Myerson was America's first (and still only) Jewish Miss America, an groundbreaking achievement that makes for riveting cultural and social history. This is not a new book --- it is the first paperback edition of Susan Dworkin's landmark collaborative biography that was first published in 1987, and it is still an important one. Dworkin weaves together oral histories, research and commentary to present not only a vivid portrait of pre-feminist America in the '30s and '40s, but one of Jews, of women, of the anti-Semitic riddled Miss America pageant and of Myerson's own life. A crowning success. Still.

It started out a little slow for me because our first American Beauty Ann was getting on my nerves but as the story continued she began to grow on me and I came to enjoy her very much. She definitely had a mind of her own and I like that type of character.

Ann Brighton reluctantly goes to England with her millionaire father and serves as his hostess in exchange for the money to start her own horse farm back in post-Civil War Virginia. She can't forgive him for deserting her family to run blockades. She's adamant about returning to the States until she meets Rhys Kendall, a man on a mission of vengeance against her father. Their liking and respect for each other blaze into a passion neither can deny, which endangers both his plans and hers. But when a mysterious blackmailer threatens not only Ann's father's life, but Ann's as well, Rhys and Ann both have to decide what path they want to follow and what they're willing to do to follow it ... The heroine is beautiful from the inside out, generous to her friends and devoted to family, with a gutsy, bold, "American" brashness I admired and chuckled at from the start. The hero is one to live for ... intelligent and sensitive, sexy and bullheaded, in fact, all through the book I wished he was locking horns with me! I haven't read an historical romance in a long time but I couldn't resist this one, from page one on. I highly recommend it and can't WAIT to read the others in the three-part series! Bravo, Jo-Ann Power!

I took it with me everywhere. From the beauty salon to my son's track meet. I couldn't let it out of my sight until I finished it. Now I can hardly wait till the next book. It has all the elements of a fantastic book: romance, mystery, and rich historical detail. Ann is a true delight!!! I even bought extra copies to give to my friends!

In 1875 Alexandria, Virginia, Ann Brighton awaits the arrival of fiancé so that they can elope. Her intended never shows up. Desperate to finance the purchasing of a horse farm, Ann accepts a deal with her estranged father, Skip. He will bankroll her ambition if she will serve as his hostess during a trip to England. Skip wants to make amends to individuals, including his daughter, whom he hurt during his business ventures. He also wants Ann to marry one of his victims, Rhys Kendall, the Duke of Carlton.

Though Rhys and Ann are immediately attracted to one another, neither one wants a relationship to develop between them. She wants to maintain her independence and he despises her father. Still, with the impetus of a matchmaking father, love soon flourishes. Now, if the stubborn couple would only allow their feelings for each other to overcome their reluctance, this couple can have a lifetime of happiness as their reward.

NEVER BEFORE, the first novel in the "American Beauties" series, is a fabulous Victorian romance that will excite fans of that sub-genre. The lead protagonists are a wonderful pair, but it is the machinations of Skip that turns the story line into a novel worth reading by any fan of historical romances. Jo-Ann Power is clearly a powerfully talented force in theromance genre

Harriet Klausner

I honestly can't recall ever having been so profoundly affected by something I read in all my adult life (I'm 23). When this book arrived on my doorstep, I picked it up at lunchtime, intending just to read the foreword and get back to it after the weekend - and twenty-four hours later the book was finished. It was terrifyingly gripping. I have never read anything that touched so many of my nerves at the same time.

I lent it to my boyfriend - I was worried about getting him to read it, because I'm still trying to get him past page eight of Phillip Pullman's Northern Lights, and I didn't want to be a nag. I shouldn't have worried. As with me, it consumed him from the first page. When he had finished, I received a somewhat distraught phonecall, consisting of about half an hour of intense ranting, which basically boiled down to "I need a hug."

Furthermore. I was contacted by one of my boyfriend's friends today, who picked this book up idly and flicked through the first couple of pages, and then desperately wanted to get hold of me and ask if she could borrow it because she couldn't put it down.

I want to hang on to this book, because I know I'll be wanting to re-read it soon. But I also feel very strongly the importance of getting this book read by as many people as possible. It deals with so many issues which are not traditionally tackled in modern literature, and it has the potential to be an incredibly important step in breaking those taboos and understanding why so many people do the things they do to themselves.

Buy it. You may be many things by turns - unnerved, horrified, enlightened, disgusted... But you will not be disappointed. A consuming read.

After taking my Prozac, getting my Botox injection, and readying my iPod, I sat down with this book hoping for a mind-blasting, soul-flaying vision of a world that almost is. I was not disappointed. I was impressed by much in this book; particularly the style of writing. The author seems very comfortable using words to create a sense of manic urgency which can otherwise be quite difficult to produce without the aid of music or some other sensual medium. Ready your Prozac, and read this book.

The writing is fluid and poetic, and the imagery is vivid and haunting. It made me laugh out loud, and revel in horror. It's both a dark modern parable and engrossing personal story of a character in whom I believe many will see components of themselves. I read the book in one (intense!) sitting - I couldn't put it down. Amazing!

I read this book straight through in two and a half days, hardly pausing to eat or sleep or get off my reading couch. It is chilling, disturbing -- the kinds of chills that send goosebumps up your spine, the kinds of chills that cause your chills to get chills. The unnamed heroine of this story goes through transformations (mental as well as physical) which caused me to often panic, break out in sweats, and put the book aside for a few minutes -- but then I was compelled to continue reading it. There are very few books that can instantly shudder the most sunny of days -- but Bromberg's manages bravely to do this. I was stunned silent on finishing this book. No other author has ever transformed me in this way.

This is a book beyond genre. In the ending pages of the book, Bromberg puts forth a new post-postmodern esthetic, but for the majority of the book, she is deeply rooted in the postmodern tradition. She will never tell you directly what she is up to; she works gradually by gradually, indirectly but never innocently, to shape her story strand by strand. Her wordplay is frenetic, furious, and follows the heroine's mental state for a full year inside a tiny cubicle of a room, trapped inside the room for all to see on the web, unable (and perhaps unwilling) to leave. This is a story midway in spirit between William James and Samuel Beckett, with perhaps a dash of powdered insects and rotting squashes thrown in for a disturbing effect.

This book is written in an obsessive, frenzied style -- if you're like me and you feel that contemporary literature has lost its cutting edge, you'll be excited (terrified!) by the knifesharp wit which Bromberg uses in "A New You" to skewer everything you once thought was true....

This is a great story!! It is a story about the Kimball kids. They work all year long to buy a stove for their Mother. Hester has to work all summer at her Aunt's terrible hotel. So she can earn enough money for the stove that costs $27.00. Big surprises happened when I least expected them. I loved the story the whole time I read it. I felt like I was there. But can they get all the money before christmas? Read and find out.It is neat how she bases her characters on real people. Lots of the stuff that happens in the book really happened! And the book also shows what you can do if you work together. If you like this book, try Beatty's Melinda Takes a Hand,and Turn Homeward Hannalee. They are all great books.

The "Nickel-Plated Beauty" is one of three companion books by Patricia Beatty set on the Pacific coast of southwest Washington State at the turn of the 20th century. The other titles are "O the Red-Rose Tree," and "Sarah and Me and the Lady from the Sea." When recommending them to students in our elementary school library (in Washington State), I compare them "The Little House on the Prairie" series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. In my opinion they are written as well.

After reading these books years ago, I took my family on a vacation to the Long Beach (Washington) penninsula where the stories are set and we were able to locate many of the landmarks mentioned in the books. There is the ring of historical accuracy, as well as the cold wet climate of this region.

For any students looking for historical fiction from a locale not usually written about, these books are to be recommended. They should appeal to fourth grade students and above.

All three of these titles were recommended reading by the Washington State Centennial committee in 1989. I still think they're wonderful and so do the students willing to give them a try!

I read this book when I was in third grade. Some thirty years later I remember this experience as being my introduction to the world of literature. The inspiring story of a family working together for a common goal pulled me in and kept me there. Now I am giving it as a gift to another young reader.

I was a child when I read this book.Just a little while ago, I wanted to recommend it to one of my nieces, so I checked it out of the library to see whether it was as good as I remembered.It was!

Beatty's tale of seven spirited pioneer kids who hatch a plan to earn money for a brand-new stove has suspense, humor and affection. You're turning the pages eagerly until the very end, wondering whether they'll be able to come up with the money for the stove before the hard-headed general store manager sells it to somebody else.

Young readers will love the spectacle of kids taking charge and making things happen -- while keeping everything a surprise for their parents.

As for the big payoff scene when Mom and Dad are presented with the stove on Christmas morning, well, it doesn't get much better than that. Worth seeking out, for sure.

ok, look im not going to tell you about the book because thats what everyone does! I'm just going to tell you that these books are amazing but I suggest that you read them in order or they might be confusing!

This book rocks! I was so suprised when Seirra's boyfriend, Kevin, asked to marry him! What does she say? I'm not telling! Justin is up to his old tricks--this time, with Tamara! And Allison--well...I think she's the meanest "villian" ever--that makes her great! Read it!

I've also read the #1 and #2 in this series. Katie and Dean are meant to be together. Justin is a no-good, lying, cheating scum. Allison, a.k.a. The Virus, is a no-good,lying, cheating schemer who wreaks havoc whereever she goes. Justin and Allison are perfect for each other. I like Willow, Dawn, and Scarlet-Caress from #1, Molly, Sarah, Pepper, Roni, Shelby (Shylo's kinda mean), and Neely (who stole The Virus's roll of film to prevent her from developing it and showing Mrs. Crownwell-Stevens the picture of Shylo kissing Dean--you go, girl!), and Sierra, Zoey, Tamara, and Kimber (Tori's too weird). I also like Megan, Allison's sweet twin sister. I like these books a lot, and I'm gonna buy the next (is it the last one--I mean, what 'bout the national pageant--who's gonna win?) book in the series. Q.L.

I thought the book was pretty good. I was sort of glad that Allison took the picture of Shylo and Dean in the Midwest Girls (I hate the name Shylo!!!) If only Dean could have stayed in the pageant while Shylo would be sent packing. I hated the way she treated her twin sister. If she wanted to take her feeling out on someone, she had no right to take it out on Shelby. I got so happy when Tori got smacked but it also made me even more angry when Allison threatened her. When I went to the book store I found the National Pageant book and looked to the back to find out who the winner was (I could't wait to find out and I did that with all the other books too, hehehe). Allison kind of makes me like her, and then again she makes me hate her guts (it switchs back and forth). I like Dean a lot but he really should stop teling people that his girlfriend (Katie Laramie) is in the pageant. Somebody could just blurt it out or they could turm against Dean and tell Mrs. Crownwell-Stevens. I felt so sorry when Kimber found out what her mother did. But when I read the part when they were at the hospital I thought it was wrong of Mrs. Crownwell-Stevens to get mad at the nurse when she was just telling her about the blood being different (it wasn't her fault Kimber and her dad's blood were different). Anyways, I liked Mrs. Crownwell-Stevens, and the book was just as great as the others!!!

I loved this book. The author lovingly helps us to see the beauty around us by telling simple and profound stories, combining history, science, literature, anthropology, archeology, history and even a bit of pop culture. Though the subject is different, the only book I can compare it to is A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Anyone who reads this book will have a deeper appreciation of all the beauty in our lives.

As I approached my reading of J. Ruth Gendler's "Notes on the Need for Beauty," I immediately put on my hat as a student of philosophy for over half a century. After all, "beauty" is the subject of a branch of philosophy called "aesthetics," a sub-discipline which, unfortunately, does not seem to generate a great deal of attention in the college curriculum of departments of philosophy in our colleges. In fact, as I recall, the department of philosophy where I did all my undergraduate work did not even offer a course in aesthetics. The great idea of "beauty" was discussed -- I went back and checked my undergraduate textbooks -- in exactly one chapter of the text we used for a course in "ontology" (philosophy of being). That was it. Thinking back now, as close as I came to considering aesthetics was a graduate course I took in "philosophy of literature," wherein we studied "beauty" in things literary. We have all heard the familiar phrase "the true, the good, and the beautiful." The "true" gets lots of attention, since it's the object of a controversial branch of philosophy called "epistemology." The "good" also gets lots of attention, since it's somewhat the object of another controversial branch of philosophy dealing with "ethics." But it seems that the "beautiful" does not get much attention from students of philosophy. I now wonder why.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. While Gendler's book is not a philosophical treatise on the subject of "beauty," at least in any strict sense a professional philosopher would recognize, it is, I think, a clarion call to get back to the basics of beauty as an awareness of what we experience in everyday life. The book is a strictly "empirical" approach to the subject which is, of course, necessary at the beginning of any discussion about things (qualities in this case) in the "world-out-there" as well as the "world-within-us." The "measures" of beauty have traditionally been unity, order, and clarity; these are the concepts which have been applied to evaluations of the beautiful since the ancient Greeks. These concepts, however, have to be applied to something that actually exists, either as real or ideal, and it is here where Gendler directs most of our attention: to the simple things around us which we so often just take for granted. We rarely really "see" them, we hardly spend time contemplating them, and we, in our busy and messy contemporary world, ignore them for the most part and wonder if we're not missing something.

Gendler certainly makes an important "philosophical" point (unwittingly or not) when she says that "Beauty, like every other quality -- courage, fear, ugliness, trust, truth, wisdom -- is a part of us and apart from us, inside us and outside us, personal and impersonal. Beauty invites us to build bridges and make connections between the senses and the soul, between contemplation and expression, between ourselves and the world." The great debate in aesthetics has always been the argument over subjectivity versus objectivity: Is beauty merely in the eye of the beholder, or is there something "out there" which, in fact, possesses the quality of beauty regardless of the beholder? Gendler appears to take the middle road on the issue and I agree with her: "Beauty . . . is a part of us and apart from us, inside us and outside us." Her book provides numerous examples to support her observation.

Beauty is, however, a most elusive quality. Its nature is no tenuous that it always seems to escape in the very moment of its capture. There is hardly a term in any language which is used more and abused more than "beauty." The conflicting varieties of its definition are truly amazing -- a sure indication of the complexity of its nature and of the many-sided character of its appeal. Beauty manifests itself in so many and in such divergent forms that it is extremely difficult to discover the general element common to them all. Gendler simply asks us to "look" around us and "consider" ordinary things: light, darkness, mirrors, windows, faces, masks, clothes, the human body, and even cups, bowls, and baskets. She takes one on an adventure into the "obvious," although in this case the obvious may have been missed all the time. Here, there is no mere glossing over the beauty that is present in our lives. This is an "intimate" confrontation. The reader is compelled toward an encounter with the quality of beauty anywhere and everywhere.

"Notes on the Need for Beauty" is a book to be enjoyed at leisure; it is not a book to be read quickly. It contains prose to be reflected upon; images to be savored quietly; ideas to be considered over time. From a strictly philosophical point of view, I think the instances of beauty that Gendler provides in her work, commonplace as most of them may be, do satisfy perhaps the best definition of beauty that I've ever come across: "Pulchra sunt quae visa placent," that is, "things are beautiful which please when perceived." That definition is courtesy of St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest classical realistic philosophers the world has ever produced. I suspect that Aquinas would have enjoyed Gendler's book since he was, contrary to the view of all too many "modern" philosophers, a most empirical and "down-to-earth" thinker who did not disdain nor dismiss the "beauty" which surrounds us in our most common, conventional, and everyday life.

Finally, the media bombard us daily with the ugliness in the world: the useless deaths, the unnecessary destruction, the epidemic diseases, the multitudinous disasters, the unconscionable crimes of humanity. Now is the time to take some "time-out" and reflect on the beautiful, on those things, simple as they are, that make a full life worth living. Gendler's book is a good guide to doing just that. And that is why I highly recommend this work to all readers.

In our modern world, the word beauty has changed into something restrictive and judgmental. We are convinced that that actors and supermodels are beautiful and we as ordinary people will never achieve such status. It seems that we've lost that joyful imagination that we had as a child. A time when our parents told us we were beautiful and we knew it to be true, without question. When we all saw the beauty in a flower, in a rainbow, or in our favorite shirt.

Notes in the Need for Beauty takes beauty back where it belongs. This work is almost poetic in feel. To me, this work gently guided me into the world of the artist who still sees the beauty in everyday things. As I continued, I began regaining a little bit of my child self. In doing so, I felt lighter and the world seemed to be a much more beautiful place.

This is a lovely book. It reawakens us to the real, uncontrived beauty all around and within us -- the kind you get for free -- and gently urges us toward awareness of how it can nurture us, if only we'd let it. Gendler's book is a meditation,a balm, a book to savor. Her quiet drawings match her gentle tone. Keep it on your night table.

Wouldn't you love to be rich enough to be able to consult not just one specialist to help you with health/weight/image/confidence issues, but a whole team? This is the idea underlying this book. Fischer brought together a handful of specialists few of us could afford to hire ourselves to give their insights on the multi-faceted reality of bringing discipline to our mind/body relationship. As a psychologist, I'm most familiar with Stanley Krippner's stellar reputation, but each member of the team Fischer assembled is a luminary in his/her field. If you're looking for something beyond just another diet book, this comprehensive approach could be what you have in mind.

PARK AVENUE DIET is much more than a diet. It's a way of life, complete with advice on eating, fitness, personal growth, how you look, how you relate to others, and more. I bought this book and went out and got my hair cut! Just the right thing. Sensible advice,from a panel of experts it would be hard to assemble, never mind hear all at once, offering this valuable plan. Here is a CREATIVE as well a holistic, approach to self-improvement. I say this as editor of EVERYDAY CREATIVITY AND NEW VIEWS OF HUMAN NATURE (2007), to which one of this book's illustrious authors contributed! That's what sent me this way. And how glad I am.
Ruth Richards, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Fischer's approach to weight loss is replete with common sense, practical advice, humor, and tantalizing recipes. I especially liked the psychological contributions of Dr. Stanley Krippner on how to develop self-confidence and replace negative beliefs about one's eating habits with positive, constructive beliefs. Additional contributions by specialist in exercise, interpersonal relationships, and personal appearance bring a holistic approach to dieting that I have never seen in similar books.

This book offers a powerful, rational approach to dieting without the hype. It provides the reader cogent, practical, psychologically-sound suggestions to better eating habits. For example, Dr. Stanley Krippner's chapter about the role of self-confidence in healthy weight maintenance illuminates a key concept often missing from other dietary approaches. A must read for any health care professional and person wanting to maximize their health.

Stefan Kasian, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology, Akamai University

Or maybe I should say about race in America -- not simply the South.

I read this book over a year ago and it still remains in my mind -- which indicates how powerful this book is. I started thinking again about this book because I have been reading "The Secret Life of Bees." The "Bees" book got me thinking, because it is so flawed with stereotyped characters and superficial view of race in the South. I found myself thinking about books I have read about race in the South and thought of at least two that are so much better (aside from To Kill a Mockingbird). One of these was "The Summer We Got Saved" and the other was this book. Either is so much better (but much less well known) than the bees book is. No stereotypes in this book -- no abusive men, abused orphans, wise black women, etc.

Instead, we get a believable story about a working class white woman living in a small town in south Georgia (same town she's lived in all her life) who one day finds herself shunned by everyone she knows. Her beauty shop business dries up overnight, and she is told that she is unwelcome at her church. She has no idea why, but it has to do with race, as she eventually finds out.

The crisis of her shunning and the resulting social and economic suffering move her painfully in the journey from being comfortable but without much depth or understanding, to going through the wilderness of shunning, to emerge having been changed for the better -- she understands so much more about others and herself. She goes from fitting in to someone who has changed so much she will never really fit in again, even when things get better. Her eyes have been opened. This life-saving growth in insight is where I would compare the book to "The Summer We Got Saved."

Although I have been trying not to accumulate books -- to pass them on after I have read them -- this book will remain in my collection and will be re-read from time to time.

No wonder I haven't been getting royalties on this book! Well, it could be revived soon; Arena Stage Theater, in D.C. is in the process of adapting it for stage. So, there! Author, Janice Daugharty

It's a shame that writers as gifted as Janice Daugharty don't get more attention. While the big publishing Goliaths spend millions promoting name-brand authors who churn out formulaic clap-trap, someone in New York should have the courage to do what it takes to introduce this superb writer to a broader reading public. Each line of Pawpaw Patch is a well-placed stroke of the pen which paints a vivid, colorful portrait of the very human citizens of Cornerville, Georgia. No writer has come closer to the truth.

Janice Daugharty's book jacket photo shows a middle-aged woman seated in a white wicker chair, wearing a prim, sailor-collared dress. If one were to judge by appearances only, one might expect stories about quilting bees and square dancers. Well, there is dancing in "Pawpaw Patch," but it's clogging, not square-dancing. And there are beauty pageants, and "mothers in corn-smudged frocks" and folks trading pickles for legal advice. However quaint this may seem, there is nothing cute about Cornerville, where Chanell Foster's beauty shop is the center of social activity. This is a seemingly modern town where people dress in Ralph Lauren and watch "Knot's Landing," but continue to call blacks "Negroes." Chanell and her customers are just one step removed from separate drinking fountains. When one of her childhood friends starts a vicious, racist rumor, driving her business away, Chanell is forced to confront her own prejudices and, later, those of the townspeople who have turned against her. Daugharty tells this twist-filled tale in a voice that is as rich as mississippi mud pie. Every few paragraphs I found myself pausing to savor a particularly apt image - "cup handle ears," peacock tail feathers "sweeping the corn rows like the tulle train of a wedding gown." She also has a wonderful ear for dialogue and a genius for naming - to wit, Aunt Teat, Joy Beth and Linda Gay. Swanoochee County, the setting of Daugharty's two previous novels as well as this one, isn't paradise - not by a long shot - but it's a place readers will want to visit again and again