Massachusetts Books

A 13 year old girl gives a pictorial introduction to all aspects of her equestrian lifestyle: jumping, trail riding, equipment, horse care, competing, teaching. Shows a young person working and being responsible while enjoying her dream. A positive role model, Eve Shinerock shares her love of horses with her readers.

If you know an adolescent girl, (or boy), who loves horses, this may be the perfect book. It certainly makes a wonderful gift. Thirteen-year-old Eve Shinerock has been raised around horses. Her Mom is a riding instructor and Eve has had her own horse, Lightning, half Arabian and half Connemara pony, since she was very small.

This real life story, told in Eve's own words, is about the strong bond between a girl and her horse. She tells about owning, caring for and riding her horse, competing in contests, and the wonderful bond that develops between girl and animal. Eve's life seems to be one that many kids dream of, until she and her family plan to move to a new house - and they can't take Lightning with them.

The books is illustrated with more than 75 extraordinary black and white photographs, by award-winning photographer Jane Feldman, of Eve and Lightning. "I Am a Rider" gives girls and horse fans of all ages a glimpse into the everyday life of a young equestrienne and the horse she loves. This is a wonderful book!
JANA

92 year old Victoria Trumbull is out for a walk with her granddaughter when she spots a body. The police say the death was caused by an accidental fall off a cliff, but Victoria thinks someone murdered her neighbor. She is convinced the murder has something to do with the debate over whether or not to have a casino on Martha's Vineyard, where she lives. When a friend disappears and is presumed dead after a house fire, Victoria is determined to find out the truth. Add in a motorcycle rally, a stolen computer, and a kidnapping and Victoria is one busy lady.

"Indian Pipes" is an enjoyable mystery. Victoria is a great creation - at 92 she is sharp as a tack, energetic, stubborn, and a deputy assisting police chief Casey O'Neill. Her granddaughter Elizabeth is also well written - recovering from a divorce, she would like her grandmother to be more politically correct, not realizing how open to today's world Victoria really is. Author Cynthia Riggs does a good job of capturing life on Martha's Vineyard and the gambling plot line is a timely one as casinos are indeed being talked about in Massachusetts. The mystery aspects are nicely done and there are plenty of suspects to keep readers guessing who the murderer is. Besides the murder, there are also several smaller mysteries in the book that are all well developed and Riggs nicely takes her time in letting readers know the solution.

"Indian Pipes" is a nice cozy mystery.

In West Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard, ninety-two years old Deputy Sheriff Victoria Trumbull and her granddaughter Elizabeth are walking together when they see a person apparently fall from a nearby cliff. The nonagenarian soon learns the corpse is that of her reclusive neighbor Jube Burkhardt. The crime scene and what Victoria and Elizabeth observed even from a distance lend credence to Jube accidentally falling off a nearby ledge.

Victoria learns that Jube, an engineer, attended a meeting called by the local Wampanoag tribal council to discuss soil testing in support of their proposed casino. Though she vowed to stay out of the casino controversy, she finds the link to Jube too tempting to ignore as the residents of West Tisbrury are divided over the gambling project. Motivated to uncover the identity of the killer, Victoria soon finds a second dead person and an arson set fire. As she gets closer to the truth, the culprit tries to silence the persistent cop.

As with the five previous delightful Martha's Vineyard Mystery, INDIAN PIPES is a superb whodunit starring a feisty protagonist, who though geriatric has not lost much of her step (just ask her granddaughter). The story line is exciting as a reluctant Victoria investigates the death and more. The story is terrific and the heroine wonderful and as always, Cynthia Riggs provides an eccentric support cast, this time a motorcycle biking professor and his hogs that turns the tale into a colorful winner.

Harriet Klausner

Whether you're a biologist, an environmentalist, or just someone who loves fish/fishing, this book is a must. Written for both academics and lay-persons, with easy to understand text, it includes information on methods for determining the identity of local freshwater fish, with beautiful illustrations and color plates.

Whether you're a biologist, an environmentalist, or just someone who loves fish/fishing, this book is a must. Written for both academics and lay-persons, with easy to understand text, it includes information on methods for determining the identity of local freshwater fish, with beautiful illustrations and color plates.

I found the suggested routes and hotel/gallery/hotel listings espacially useful. This is the only guide I used for my vist to Boston, and it worked well for me.

This is a great compact guide, which is easy to tote around and refer to. The travel tips section suggested a great variety of galleries and restaurants, and was helpful in planning how to get around the city (my first time in Boston). I used Insight Guide: Boston to plan my trip, and then carried the compact guide around in my purse when touring the city. Both the Insight Guide and the Insight Compact Guide to Boston were great fo rme, and I would recommed either or both to anyone planning a trip to (the really nice) city of Boston.

I found this guide to be both thorough and user friendly. Loaded with great photographs, it made planning our activties as a family really fun. The suggested routes are very well explained and mapped, and we enjoyed following them around Martha's Vineyard. Next stop, Nantucket!

This handy little guide really proved useful and fun to read, and suggested sites we probably wouldn't have located without it. We visited a number of the restaurants and galleries it suggested and were never disappointed. I recommend this book.

From an engaging written history to a survey of historic and cultural sites, Irish pubs and gift shops, and annual events, any present or past Bostoner will find Michael P. Quinlin's Irish Boston: A Lively Look At Boston's Colorful Irish Past, Including Museums, Historic Sites, Pubs, Music, Dancing, And Much More an excellent purchase celebrating both the past history of the Irish in Boston and their present-day culture and influences. Especially notable are chapters which focus on famous and notable Irish personalities in Boston, making for a fine blend of history, biography and travelogue all under one cover.

This comprehensive peek at the culture behind America's most Irish city is fascinating if you are interested in Irish American history. I was impressed by this "labor of love" by the author, and his tribute to the city's Irish community is heartfelt. Particularly interesting are the inclusion of not only photos and great content, but a guide to interesting destinations, Irish pubs, events and other reasons to visit Boston. A great gift for anyone with kelly green blood in their veins, I bought three for Christmas gifts! Thanks, Michael, for such a sincere and thorough chronicle of this important Boston community.

Fascinating look at the International Six-Days Trial (later known as the ISDE- International Six-Days Enduro - to avoid confusion with the observed trials competition). The best book I am aware of on the subject, perhaps the only book available on it. (Note: Years later there have been some other books printed on the subject- 2005) The Six-Days in Dalton, MA was an incredible adventure for hundreds of endurance motorcycle competitors from Europe, including riders from the communist countries like Czechoslovakia, East Germany, etc. who were able to leave communism with the permission of their country to compete against the best riders from many countries around the world. They all came to the USA for the first time ever, to race against each other for six days in some very difficult terrain in western Massachusetts. The United States had several dozen competitors, who acquired a position on the US team by going through a series of qualifying 2-day events in the USA. For the competitors, it is the highlight of each year, having competed in smaller events throughout the year, building up to this momentous event. It is a MUST-HAVE for Enduro riders. Unfortunately is is currently out of print. Hopefully enough interest will be generated so that another printing is done.

I am fortunate to have owned a copy of this book since 1974. If you are a fan of the ISDT you will not be disappointed. I cannot tell you how many hundreds of times I have picked this book up just to look at the photos. It also contains a brief but excellent history of the ISDT as well as the personnel responsible for and the events leading up to the 48th ISDT in Dalton. An excellent reference for complete rider list and individual and team standings. Includes a day-by-day recount of the event and follows the progress of the US Vase A team which won the Silver Vase Trophy for the first time ever. If you rode the woods when the Pentons, Malcolm Smith, Dick Burleson etc were the top riders, then you will love this book. Top notch still and action photos, too, both color and black and white, of many of your favorite riders. If you can find a copy, grab it!

Mr. Dorfner is truly a dharma bum in today's society if there ever is one !! Between this novel that deeply researches Jack's life in his hometown of Lowell to his other piece "visions of Rocky Mount", Mr.Dorfner has really done his homework on Jack. I highly recommend this book (and "visions of Rocky Mount") to ANY fan of Kerouac or the beat generation. Thank you, Mr.Dorfner for writing such an informative book !!

Dorfner...born in Catskills,NY--rode bike, packed his Rucksak, & went-On The Road*...a truly Beatified...hip beat. Make annual Lowell,(MA) Celebrates J Kerouac, 3 days in early Oct....

My husband and I own a two-family house near Boston. This book has been very helpful in knowing what we are legally responsible for. We also used the forms included. Since purchasing this book, we've realized we are much more detail-oriented than most landlords. Tenants have many rights that landlords simply ignore that could really hurt them in the end. Courts don't accept "ignorance" as an excuse from landlords. This book is well worth it and easy to understand for a landlord interested in the legalities of smaller residential and commercial properties.

I have several apartments and condos. Though I am well versed with the real estate laws in Mass., this book is a great reference for me. Any landlord in Mass. should have this book, it is easy to read and understand. Dealing with the court system can be a nightmare if you are not prepared, believe me. If you don't have everything in proper order, you lose. This book will assist you in what are your responsiblities are, you can bet your tenant does. Beware of the professional tenant! Plus, the book gives helpful hints to make your life a little easier.

Interested in tracing the roots of American liberty in words and pictures? Then you will want to read this book. Author E. Ashley Rooney and Mary L. Martin relive the events of April 19, 1775 that " glorious morning for America" when the United States was born. The unique marriage of vintage postcards depicting the events and the colorful text make for a delightful walk through American history.

"Lexington to Concord" is a marvelous book that provides a visual as well as narrative history of the events of April 19, 1775, when Paul Revere rode to Lexington and "the shot heard 'round the world" was fired. What makes this book unique is that every page is illustrated with Amos Doolittle's sketches, period postcards, and current photographs of historical sites.

Continuing in time past the Revolution, the towns of Lexington, Bedford and Concord are illustrated, and many anecdotes and little known facts are included.

Many books provide excellent and readable narratives of the events of 1775, eg., David Hackett Fischer's "Paul Revere's Ride", but as a person who reads a great deal of American history, I highly recommend "Lexington to Concord" for its visual presentations in combination with descriptive narration and comment.