Virginia Books

Virginia Beach can be a bit overwhelming and this book made my trip less stressful.

I didn't actually walk any of the suggested walks, but did see many of the sights highlighted in this book.

This little book is packed full of information. It's arranged in a logical manner and it's inexpensive. What more can you ask for?

As a resident of Virginia Beach I found new insight into the area. This informative guide is packed with history, information on natural resources and local trivia. I was not surprised to see Jackson's credentials. She knows her stuff! Congratulations Virginia Beach!

a great manual for a insider's look at a otherwise typical beach resort. the author shows you how with a little foot work you can visit first hand things that have a little more signifigance than a tacky t-shirt shop.

This is an interesting and informative book about the gardens that George Washington spent 45 years planning and tending for his home, Mount Vernon. The stylish new photographs are supplemented by historic drawings, some from the archives of the museum. Various out-buildings are shown along with the landscape garden, kitchen garden, pleasure garden and a botanical garden where Washington experimented. In addition, there is a listing of Washington's trees and shrubs, eighteenth century flowers, bulbs and roses currently grown at Mount Vernon, and a list of what George Washington grew from seed. This a good reference for all interested in the history of gardens in America.

This lovely book, full beatiful photographs is a must for any one interested in American history and garden history in general. In fact it gives us Americans a garden history (slavery excluded) to be as proud of as the British are of theirs.
Lots of well researched interesting facts, useful advice, historical insight and pretty pictures make this book thoroughly enjoyable and I recomend it highly.

This lovely book, full beatiful photographs is a must for any one interested in American history and garden history in general. In fact it gives us Americans a garden history (slavery excluded) to be as proud of as the British are of theirs.
Lots of well researched interesting facts, useful advice, historical insight and pretty pictures make this book thoroughly enjoyable and I recomend it highly.

My daughters, ages 8 and 6, listened intently as I read 'Way Down Deep'. We truly enjoyed this book. We found it difficult to stop reading each night as they would ask for 'one more page'. The characters are colorful and vivid and charming. We laughed out loud when the townspeople turn the attempted bank robbery into an 'opportunity' and adopt the bank robber and his family. We breathed a sigh when Ruby made her decision about where her home is... who her family is. We will certainly re-read this book in the future.

Way Down Deep is a small town that is cradled between hills in the Appalachian Mountains. This special town "did not do things by the book". In 1944 on the first day of summer, a small redheaded girl is found abandoned in front of Way Down Deep's courthouse "she was in her petticoat, just sitting there on that bench where the old-timers like to hang out and swap lies" A toddler she can only respond that "woo-bee" is her name so the town adopts Ruby informally, " if Ruby's people were dumb enough to lose something as valuable as a child, then finders keepers, losers weepers". The sheriff whose "heart was way too soft and his mind too fuzzy for sheriffing" looks the other way rather than try to locate any relatives when Miss Arbutus who runs the rambling three-story boardinghouse called The Roost volunteers to raise the little girl until "her people" are found. Ruby, now eleven, thrives on the love extended to her by the townspeople. The setting is well established: A charming little map shows: Busy Street and Ward Street where there are businesses like Bevins's BarberShop, Pure Gas Station whose owner also runs the Boxcart Grill and the medical office of Mr. and Mrs. Doctor, one is a dentist, the other is a doctor.
The cast of delightful characters include: a man who arrives with a goat which he offers Miss Arbutus in exchange for lodging and food; this goat loves to stand on a Studebaker to view his new town, Ruby's classmate Reese who loves to sing but sings off-key "In his own mind he was the second coming of Hank Williams, but to everybody else he was as off-key as a hillbilly slung up drunk on moonshine", Mrs. Thornton Elkins a "cultured lady" whose husband died in their first year of marriage so she moves into the Roost to recuperate for a few weeks, then a few months, then a few years; when she runs out of money, donations of food items and bolts of dress material are left for her so she could wear "simple but stylish dresses". One day an inept bank robber who is easily confounded, scared of real guns and so carries a plastic gun, cries when he tries and fails to hold up the town bank successfully. When it turns out he arrived in town on a bus and plans to leave on a bus, the townspeople are too polite to suggest to him a getaway on a bus was not the best idea. Nevertheless, the townspeople "adopt" his family since he is down on his luck. When Ruby is eleven years old, an uncle shows up to reclaim her; the interior motive proves to be that she is required to take care of a constantly angry and bitter grandmother. Ruby ingeniously starts telling her stories about the nurturing town where she grew up. Later when Ruby insists on returning to Way Down Deep, the grandmother wants to move there too where she might finally have some friends. This is a charming and uplifting story of a community that treasures its children (the adults put on a Kid's Day to celebrate all of them) and offers help to those in need. Yes, the residents are nosey and news travels fast, yet who would not want to live in this unique town where the residents are respectful of each other's idiosyncrasies and extend their love and care to residents and strangers alike. This is a powerful story of redemption and acceptance that is humorous and filled with interesting characters.

Ruth White's WAY DOWN DEEP tells of a toddler found abandoned in a small town. Miss Arbutus takes her in and she leads a good life - but when Ruby is twelve a new family arrives in town with news of her past - and to learn more she must travel far from her newfound home. Is it worth it? A fine story of bonds and community connections evolves.

If you feel a little guilty after reading `The Well Ain't Dry Yet 'you were probably raised to believe eavesdropping is impolite. Sure, eavesdropping on the lives of fictional characters may not seem such a crime-after all, we do it all the time with books, TV, films, etc. But there's something about the characters and settings of Belinda Anderson's collection of eighteen short stories that just might fool your conscience.

We know these characters as people before even turning the first page. They are our friends, our enemies, our neighbors, our relatives and sometimes even ourselves. We wouldn't be surprised to find them in line with us at the grocery store or sitting two pews down from us at church. And like any community, Anderson's characters pass through one another's lives (stories) just as easily as the people they remind us of pass through our own.

For instance, if you don't currently have a cranky, troublesome neighbor like Mr. Wood from the story `Rainbow Ranch', you either have before or one day will and can take a tip on how to deal with him now. Or if you haven't yet been run off the road by a de facto member of the crazy old lady drivers club, who meet monthly in the story `Delivery', count yourself lucky and keep both eyes on the road when driving near the Princeton Cracker Barrel. And though you probably haven't driven around for years with your dead sister's ashes taking up space in your trunk, you can probably sympathize with the long-standing jealousy leading the main character of `Hauling Evelyn' to do so.

Some of Anderson's tales take on a dark subtext, such as `Marital Bliss', or infuriate you at the pure selfishness of people, as the story `Junior' does. Ultimately, though, even these stories remain hopeful that a better day is just around the corner.

`The Well Ain't Dry Yet' is cross-section of life as we know it in West Virginia. Anderson's characters feel as though they were living their lives before we opened the book and will go on living them after we've closed it again. She's merely allowed us to eavesdrop on them for a little while, with perhaps a little guilt for having done so. This is Anderson's true accomplishment.

(This review originally appeared in the Reader's Corner weekly column of the West Virginia Daily News, April 1, 2002 edition.)

This is a touching book with realistic characters that could almost be our neighbors or friends. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this book is the ability of each character's tale to stand on its own, but also work together as one book or "novel." Anderson is a very talented writer whose work will indeed delight her readers. She is truly one of the most memorable writers of Appalachian fiction as well as one of the most talented writers I have ever known. Her work is very touching and her characters' tales tug at our heart's strings and invite us to feel something for someone we have never met before. But a closer look shows that these characters may not be such strangers at all. Their pain is so real and so familiar.

A great work, certainly meant for the shelf or even the coffee table of all frequent readers of fiction.

In The Well Ain't Dry Yet, prize-winning author Belinda Anderson shares with her audience her insider's eye about a collection of people who come from the hills of West Virginia, but who could have come from just about anyplace where the people have spunk and care about each other. Characters in The Well Ain't Dry Yet, such as quilter Twilight Dawn Johnson, who puts bits of other people's lives in perspective to patch together a lifetime of memories and hopes in each quilt for her friends and neighbors, remind us of ourselves and our neighbors at our best and funniest moments.

This is a fantastic book. Lots of great recipes with new adaptions to ones that have been around for awhile. Using a different spice or combining of various ingredients gives news twists to old standbys and favorites. I am an avid reader of cookbooks and don't have that much time to cook now that my family is grown and left the nest, but with this book, I am very anxious to get back in the kitchen and create some new and exciting things. Cookbooks by Jr. Leagues always have some of the very best recipes and this one is certainly no exception. Highly recommend whether just for reading, or looking for something new and different.

I love cookbooks and own a lot of them. I bought this book two years ago and have given many copies as gifts to peple who like to cook. My family loves the recipes. We made some of the recipes for my niece's wedding brunch in Denver last year and the guests raved about the food. The recipes and instructions are well-written and the results are great.

Of all the regional cookbooks I own, this is one of my favorites! This cookbook has great suggestions for things to take to different gatherings from Gold Cup Horse Races to Neighborhood Picnics. I especially love the tips and suggestions at the bottom of the recipes. So far, I have tried about 20 recipes and all of them have been fabulous! The recipes are clear and easy to follow. This book is a necessity for delicious homemade treats to impress your friends. It also makes a great bridal shower and teacher gift.

This is truely a wonderful work for young folk. The illustrations are absolutely great. The depiction of each species of bird and animal is actually quite accurate, even dressed in the human clothing provided by the illustrator. This is a collection of 19th century African American folk tales, quite similar to the famous Brer Rabbit tales. These stories have been reworded so that 19th century dialect can be understood and be ralated to by children of today. Each story has a wonderful teaching and the text throughout the book matches the illustrations perfectly. In addition, there is a nice section at the back of the book which tells the source of these stories which is quite interesting standing alone. Recommend this one highly.

You couldn't ask for more in a children's book. I tripped across this book at our local library, picked it up and started reading it to my two sons, ages 8 and 10. It's a book that is meant for out-loud reading. Hamilton's prose is written in a very conversational tone, which mimics the way in which these southern tales were originally passed along: orally. Each story is about 3-4 pages long, with a lesson learned at the end of each one. Birds and bats engage in ridiculous actions and we -- the humans -- can learn from them. The book is as much fun to look at as it is to read, due to the beautiful artwork of the illustrator, Barry Moser.

These stories were meant for telling. Virginia Hamilton adds a voice that is full. It is deep and loving. Most of the stories have a bit of verse or song. Each tale ends with the teller speaking the moral plainly to the children listening. For example, "How Bruh Sparrow and Sis Wren Lost Out" ends, "So, children, here's a leaf from the book of birds: Pick on your own size. For it's no use squabbling over what's too big for you to handle." I think these tales would be perfect for the mid to upper elementary audience as well as for adults.

There is a table of contents, but the stories are in no apparent order and are not grouped. Barry Moser's vibrant watercolor illustrations are not necessary for the storytelling. However, having seen them, it is hard to imagine the story without them.

Source Notes: The Afterword helps readers and tellers know the history and origins of these Southern, African-American tales. The stories in When Birds Could Talk & Bats Could Sing were originally written down by Martha Young who wrote them in the so-called black dialect of the plantation era. It is impossible to tell now which stories she heard from African American's and which she wrote herself. These stories are written in the prose style called cante fable. They include verse or song and end with a moral for children.

There is an entire page detailing and crediting the book designers and artists who helped put this book together.
Karen Woodworth-Roman

The title of this book is from Meister Eckhart: "Where clinging to things ends, there God begins to be." What I love about Karper's book is the way God's presence glimmers in and through ALL things: mud, collapsing sheds, grasping multiflora, escaped cats, untimely bills, you name it, Sr. Karen seems to have to struggle with it! So, while the book beautifully explores a life of solitude in a quiet hermitage in West Virginia, it's totally applicable to any life, anywhere, even the busiest. Because we all need to stop clinging to things and allow God to begin to be present, don't we?

While the book is just over 116 pages long, it is a gem and if you can find a copy GRAB IT. The Author Karen Karper was a member of the Poor Clares often associated as the female branch of what St Francis of Assisi started the Franciscans. In 1989 she opted to take a leave from the monastery to attempt a life of solitary and frugality. With a ten year old Bronco and a small amount of money she set out. She had no idea where she was going. At the request of two Nuns who lived in an Appalachian Valley area called Colt Run holler (Spencer W Virginia) she accepted their invitation to visit. This would be her welcome to what would become a way of life. Learning to live amongst people who did not know many Catholics, not to mention learning to use an outhouse, pump water and deal with everything from ankle deep mud to snakes (copperheads)in the wood pile. She writes about getting enough money to drill a new well, since the old one was unhealthy. To learning to literally do everything herself, be it repairing tin roofs, or trying to grow a garden. Learning that there is solitude and then there is solitude. That living as a woman alone on a remote area would test ones faith in God as far as protection and wisdom goes. Any woman who wants to see that being over the age of 40 or 50 doesn't need to stop you from testing yourself will love this book. It has a nice Thomas Merton Zen feel and a Mother Earth News feel that I especially appreciated.

And this is a book that I read and re-read on a rainy or sunny day and a book that changes my life everytime I read it.

This book is wonderful for anyone who seeks a short period of quiet in the midst of their busy day-to-day life. As a writer and someone who loves nature, I found amazing connections in Sister Karper's story, despite the fact that our lives are obviously very different. This book took me to the mountains of Appalachia, and made me want to stay there forever--with plumbing, however!

Virginia Woolf, born to Leslie and Julie Stephen in 1862, came into a world that was stacked against her chances of emotional success. Both her parents and close family members had emotional problems she could not avoid. This background formed a vital part in preventing Virginia from forming a close bond with her mother. The result of this was that she suffered from unresolved emotional problems for the rest of her life.

All of her life, Virginia found herself immersed in the world of art and literature. Her father was considered by many to be her mentor in nurturing her talent at an early age. Leonard, her husband, protected her against outside pressure that most writers face from critics, editors and the like. Her lover, Vita Sackville - West, she was the conduit to allow Virginia's genius to reach its peak. Woolf always needed the help of others to survive.

Virginia ran into problems at the two most important stages of a child's emotional development. They are known as Symbiosis and the Rapprochement stages. If the infant experiences any breakdown in these processes, the consequences can be severe and last a lifetime.

Symbiosis occurs between the first to fifth month of a child's existence. It is the stage of sociobiological interdependence between mother and child. Rapprochment occurs around the age of two, where the child seeks to be reunited with the mother, after finding the outside world too hard to cope with. When Virginia wanted to be reunited with her mother, her mother was not available to her. This inability to be as one with her mother affected Virginia all of her life. It led her to be constantly plagued by alternating states of mania and depression.

The Stephen and Woolf family members had a repetitive behavior pattern. They only gave to others a little of themselves, to ensure they would not lose part of themselves. It did not occur to them that by allowing a part of themselves to be consumed by another being, in a caring and sharing relationship, that this would not destroy their self. Indeed it would strengthen their belief in themselves and make them a more emotionally robust person, to take on and conquer what the world might throw at them.

Virginia Woolf wrote: "Every secret of a writer's soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written in his works."

Doctor Alma Bond believes that this is indeed true of the works of Virginia Woolf. The writer's internal anguish about what problems were confronting her at various stages of her life flowed through into her novels. This characteristic of Woolf, allowed the author to utilize her professional skills to present to the world the tormented soul of a very talented person.

This is the most interesting book I have read in a long while. I thoroughly recommend it to those who wish to be entertained and gain a better understanding of themselves as well.

When I taught a graduate seminar on Virginia Woolf at Iowa State University, I told my students to read this book if they wanted, as students always do, to understand the multitude of reasons for Woolf's suicide.

Most biographies skirt the responsibilities of the other people in Woolf's life -- the exact topic that Alma Bond takes on so thoroughly. This book had to be written exactly because other writers have not been willing to examine all dimensions of Woolf's death. Hurray for Alma Bond for applying her psychoanalist's expertise on this literary/historical subject!

After seeing "The Hours" I knew I had to read more on Ms Woolf. What a great woman she was. What a great tragedy when the world lost her.

This book is definitely a must for anyone wanting to know Virginia Woolf.

A great story. Kept me reading.

Since my husband and I are fans of P.D. James and other murder mystery novels, the book was "right up our alley" so to speak. Whether Tim would succeed or the fraternity would silence him permanently was well written and the suspense kept us glued to the book until it the end. The Civil War story line was thought provoking.

This book really hit me, maybe more so because I live near West Virginia. It hits on two time periods and connects them with a pretty involving mystery, plus it has some classic action elements. Overall, it's one of the coolest historical novels out there. It might not be Hemmingway, but it got me through fall break.

This book is visually beautiful and very informative. It tells the story of several endangered ethnic groups around the world. It is simple, understandable and moving.

This book is visually beautiful and very informative. It tells the story of several endangered ethnic groups around the world. It is simple, understandable and moving.

This book is visually beautiful and very informative. It tells the story of several endangered ethnic groups around the world. It is simple, understandable and moving.