Virginia Books

If M.M. Kaye had written more books like her "Death" series, she might have had a place almost as exalted as that of Agatha Christie. Best known for "The Far Pavilions," Kaye also wrote other stories set in the exotic locations that she had visited in the past. Though it may be politically incorrect to reminisce for times when the British were a strong presence around the world, it's hard not to wish oneself into one of these exotic mysteries.

Twenty-one-year-old Amanda Derington is newly freed from her strict, oppressive uncle, and is travelling to Cyprus with a tour group that includes her uncle and aunt, a cynical romance novelist, a faux invalid and her doting husband, and an oddly attractive young artist. But after her aunt Julia enters a state of jealous hysteria and then dies mysteriously, Amanda finds a bottle of poison in her room. The artist, Steve, urges her not to reveal where she found it.

Amanda comes to Cyprus, with the incident seemingly behind her. But her host, the kindly Glenn Barton, has to relocate her to the eccentric Miss Moon's. His wife Anita has left him and is now living with an artist, claiming that her husband is cheating on her with several women. And as Amanda tries to find out who killed Julia, she finds that more murders may be in store -- including her own.

As always, M.M. Kaye evokes a bygone time of muted glamor, rugged Army officers, lots of flowers and atmospheric settings in exotic locales. Descriptions are good, not too flowery but help to bring images to mind. The dialogue is sprightly and realistic, very different for each person, and often hiding subtle clues as to the person's inner thoughts. Her characterizations are multilayered; characters like Anita Barton are not as simple as they seem, and may not be fully explained until the last pages.

Amanda is much like Kaye's other mystery heroines -- young, pretty, bright, observant, brave, a little naive, and essentially kindhearted. Love interest Steve is attractively insolent and brainy, while the mild-mannered Glenn Barton hides unusual secrets; his wife Anita also hides secrets, behind a facade of alcohol and scandal. Monica Ford, Glenn's secretary, inspires either indifference or pity, depending on the part of the book one is reading. Miss Moon is the truly unique character, an effervescent old lady who dresses on opulent clothing and jewelry according to the day of the week.

For a bit of nostalgic escapism, open "Death in Cyprus" and enjoy the exotic places and mind-bending mysteries. Then read the rest of the series, which is every bit as good as this book.

Death in Cyprus was captivating. I'll admit, it has a slow beginning, but once the story gets going in Cyprus you can't put the book down. The unlikely hero and witty, romantic dialogue gives the book a very lovable angle that will make you pick it up again and again. The suprise ending is very much of a suprise and (unless your Sherlock Holmes,) you won't even recognise some of the clues until the end. Death in Cyprus is not the best of M.M. Kaye's mysteries, but it's a romantic thriller that will sweep you off your feet.

30 years ago I improved my knowledge of English reading more than 43 novels by Agatha Christie. Not only was I a fan of mysteries, I loved and still do the light touch of Miss Christie, her lovable characters from Hercule Poirot to Miss Marple. It is therefore a great, great compliment when I say that M.M. Kaye is better than Christie. Why? She is more detailed, there is greater local color, the characters are better developed. I am thrilled to have found someone as wonderful as M.M. Kaye - this is the first novel I read of hers-- and cannot wait to read more. I recommend this book to all mystery lovers, to all Agatha Christie lovers. Flying colors!

M. M. Kaye wrote this most enjoyable mystery novel set in an enchanting Cyprus that Kaye realized was too good to last. Years later when memories of places like Kyrenia had begun to fade, she made the sun shine bright one last time on the Cyprus she had seen and experienced with this marvelous adventure and romance touched with danger. Those who love the scope and beauty of Kaye's grand "The Far Pavillions," Trade Wind," and "Shadow of the Moon" will find much to love in the atmosphere created by the author in this old-fashioned mystery romance set in an exotic locale. Places like Port Said, Fayid, Limassol, Nicosia and Kyrenia are alive and filled with beauty and adventure once again, just as they were when Kaye saw them. M. M. Kaye made sure the sun would never truly set on the exotic place she knew with "Death in Cyprus."

Sunlit garden verandas and dinner tables overlooking a crystal sea of jade and emerald, and the breeze from silver-grey olive trees are described in such a manner you can almost taste them like a fresh purple grape from the vineyards of Nicosia. The setting is ripe for romance, but danger as well, and Kaye brought together both in one of her finest mysteries. While "Death in Zanzibar" will always hold a special place for me as it was the first of Kaye's mysteries I read, it must be said that "Death in Cyprus" is one of her most exciting mystery novels and is a perfect blend of adventure, romance and mystery. You will feel as though you too have enjoyed a vacation fraught with excitement and adventure upon finishing this most charming and old-fashioned style of mystery we will not bear witness to ever again.

Young and lovely twenty-year-old Amanda Derrington will board the S.S. Orantares and meet a group of people who will play an important part in her life in ways she could not have imagined. Before she leaves the ship for a stay in beautiful Cyprus a murder will occur that will reach the white-walled houses of Cyprus, shining bright against the sea. Only Amanda and Stephen Howard, a painter who carries a gun and may be more than he seems to be, know that it was murder, and not a suicide. Only the happenstance of a last minute cabin switch allowed Amanda to find the poison ending Julia Blaine's life. Amanda's knowledge of the crime will put her in danger as the killer is now aware of what Amanda knows.

The romance of Stephen and Amanda, or Amarantha as he calls her, is a very-old fashioned one born of danger and mystery. It is the kind of romance and mystery that recalls the best of Hitchcock's British films, and very much has that feel. Jealousy and romantic strife all come into play as just beneath the surface of smiles much is going on. Amanda will befriend more than one person while having doubts about Stephen and what his real purpose is in all this. A moonlight kiss will complicate matters, as will a second, and unexpected murder. And an attempt will be made on Amanda's life while in Kyrenia which will nearly succeed.

There is a terrific ending filled with both adventure and romance. You will not guess the killer or the motive, although the clues are there. The last few moments will be fraught with danger and excitement, and just when you believe all has been revealed, the true insanity of the real murderer will change what you though you knew. A fine and vivid assortment of characters enliven the story almost as much as the exotic locale. Grand beauty and old-fashioned romance amidst an ever-growing danger do the rest, making this a memorable mystery romance that outshines everyone else who wrote in this genre.

This particular mystery and romance novel was born in 1949 when M. M. Kaye and her husband were staying in Egypt because his regiment was assigned there. A painting holiday in Cyprus she and a friend took would sow all the seeds for "Death in Cyprus." The house described in Kyrenia is the actual one Kaye and her friend stayed in while there. A series of curious incidents witnessed by Kaye on her stay gave birth to the novel she would not have the opportunity to write for another five years.

Originally published in 1956 under the title "Death Walked in Cyprus," Kaye would make revisions that enhanced the story and made it even better. "Death in Cyprus" is a wonderful adventure for all those who like their mysteries on the old-fashioned side, shaded with beauty and touched with romance. You will find none better than "Death in Cyprus" and I highly recommend you take this vacation with M. M. Kaye and rediscover how a good mystery can refresh your soul. Enjoy.

I have read lots of mystery stories, and I must say, this is the one that I can read over and over again. The setting is gorgeous - you can almost feel the sun on your face and the sand at your feet, and you almost feel like visting Cyprus, the beautiful land of Kyrenia, icosia, Huilarion, the Abbey of Belapais, the palace where Queen Berengaria waited for Richards ships. The tone used used is hilarious and the conversations and the hero as well as the heroine and enchanting. It is a must read!!

In the world surrounding Washington DC, where social might makes political right and the those heir to the electoral thrones are chosen from among the strangest of bedfellows, this is a story of one who did not play the usual games. With a host of unseemlies that seem unlikely but in normal life but are all too likely in the circles of intrigue, Harris paints a picture of what happens when honor plays by the rules written and not the rules understood.

The United States is the last among the major world powers, and well among the nations of the second world, to have never had a women in the highest seat of power. Could such a story as this be the reason behind it? What would it take for one lone woman, playing by the rules, to rise by her wits and wiles without losing either her convictions or her life? Read Here Am I and find out.

The author of "Here Am I" did an excellent job developing interesting characters with whom I empathized as a fellow professional.
The storyline is imaginative and carries the reader's attention well.
Overall, "Here Am I" is an excellent novel.

Rebecca is a wonderful heroine - tough, vulnerable, smart, straight-talking, great combination of business woman and politician.
The book is a brutally honest portrayal of the dark side of big-city politics and the best-ever account of crime & corruption in Fairfax County government.
The book is packed with action, plot twists - just can't put it down.

I spent my teen years growing up in the DC Suburbs just across the bridge from Alexandria, Fairfax and other surrounding cities/counties in Clinton, MD (Prince Georges County.) We all lived completely immersed in the heavy politics and day to day drama of living in the shadow of our nations capitol. Those were the "Marion Barry" days if that name rings a bell! I returned to the area later in 2000 to serve my last year as a military officer in the halls of the Pentagon where I had an extremely close up view of the inner workings of Washington Politics. This book generated many memories of my days as both a young person and experienced military officer in the DC area. As a well trained and evolved military leader I could relate well to and appreciate Rebecca's qualities. She truely was the hero that we aspire to be and/or look for in our leadership at many levels of government. The truth about the ugly side of politics will hopefully serve as enlightenment and a wake up call. The read was riveting and I spent every moment of free time I could spare on it from the time I turned the first page until finished!

Intelligently written and discriptive. The book does a good job of painting a picture in your mind; which is what a good novel should do. Smooth read. The story is realistic and would make a good TV drama. Can't beat the price. I will purchase the paperback version as well when it comes out.

What a great book to curl up with and explore! It's like a virtual vacation. I'm ready to call my travel agent.

This reference of Virginia's lighthouses will be indispensable anyone wanting to locate, study or identify lighthouses. It's concise format makes it possible to carry or store while traveling or keep within reach on boats,cars or aircraft. This colorful book will probably become a valuable rare collectors item, since it freezes in time a valuable set of pictures of both the interior and exterior of all the lighthouses in Virginia at publication. As I am retired U.S.Navy I have an acute interest and respect for historic documents related to maritime history.

I would like to commend Mr. Zaccaria on a wonderful job of showing us, up close, the beautiful lighthouses of Virginia. In the last few years, I have become an avid lighthouse fan. I have been able to see several of the lighthouses mentioned in the book, and I find them just as beautiful and interesting as the book describes.I recommend this book to anyone interested in lighthouses.

This book is a must for all lighthouse enthusiasts! It is an enjoyable book to read, and very informative. I recently took it on a "lighthouse hunt" while on vacation, and found the directions to be very accurate and helpful. If you have not already done so, you must make this a part of your lighthouse library!

Mr.Zaccaria presented the finest details of the Virginia Lighthouses. Even after spending four years maintaining some of the lighthouses listed, I learned a great deal about them after reading this book. Truely an amazing display of history.

"Welcome to Mossy Creek the town you can count on ain't goin' nowhere, and don't want to" with these words you get the flavor of life in the small southern town of Mossy Creek. The people are fiesty, funny, sad, and loving. Each chapter is a different character's story. You learn the history of the dispute between Mossy Creek and the nearby town of Bigelow. Each chapter becomes a story unto itself while characters overlap occasionally in the tales. From Miss Ida, the guardian/mayor of Moss Creek who will go to jail rather than put up a new welcome sign outside of Mossy Creek (afterall it was written by a Bigelowan!) to Casey, an Olympic hopeful whose dreams are dashed while returning from her elopement, due to a car accident which leaves her paralyzed from the waist down, you will laugh and cry with the inhabitants of this marvelous town. Come on for the ride and enjoy a few moments in Mossy Creek. It is a fast read and powerful in its emotions.

I am not usually a fan of short stories, but this book was different. Each story is character sketch and many of the characters make guest appearances in other stories. This is truly fiction, all the characters are big-hearted people who trul y love their town and each other. I loved Mossy Creek and also couldn't decide story I liked the best

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - lots of fun, quirky characters. Looking forward to the next in the series.

I read this book because I love Deborah Smith's work. I figured at least her stories in the book would be fantastic. I laughed so hard with the first story my husband finally asked me to share the joke. And it just got better after that. I can not wait for the next book to come out! The characters were all fun and lovable. It made me wish my small town was a wee bit smaller, Southern and full of Mossy Creekites!

This tale about the residents of Mossy Creek will warm your heart and touch your soul. It's like sitting down with good friends for a piece of warm apple pie. Delicious!

the gift recipient of this book was very happy with it and reads a lot of Virginia Woolf.

I have read this book many times over the past 25 years at different stages in my life and I have loved it every time. Virginia Woolf is my favorite author (this and To The Lighthouse are her best works, in my opinion), and have given the book to my daughter, Katharine, for Christmas. (Guess who she's named after?) This book is an "easy" read, unlike many of Virginia Woolf's other novels, and follows a conventional style. However, there is nothing conventional about her writing; I have yet to come across another novelist with her ability to touch on everyday life with such subtlety and nuance. The characters in this book are very likeable - it's as if I have known them in my own life. Love this book!

For those of you who have disdain for vanity publishers, as some call the self-published authors, be advised that much of Virginia Woolf's work was self-published through the Hogarth Press. She has been hailed as one of the greatest novelists of the twentieth century and one of the foremost Modernists, though she disdained some artists in this category. Woolf is considered one of the greatest innovators in the English language. In her works she experimented with stream-of-consciousness, the underlying psychological as well as emotional motives of characters, and the various possibilities of fractured narrative and chronology. Her literary achievements and creativity are influential even today. Historic London is the setting of Night and Day. The novel and its characters center around one place in particular the Hilbery home, an eighteenth-century house built on the Thames riverfront in Chelsea, London, a house that doubles as the literary shrine for a great Victorian poet, Richard Alardyce. The emotionally strained and serious Katharine Hilbery gives an American visitor a tour of her poet grandfather's study in the presence of her former fiance. This room is both a "religious temple" devoted to Richard Alardyce and a commercial showroom for which she is the "show-woman" of remains not for sale. Katharine, preoccupied by the interruption of feelings into her life, guides the American through the collection inattentively, thus rendering the effusive American's enthusiasm absurd. This bewildered pilgrim and the home's other specimens--Katharine Hilbery's father, an influential editor of a literary journal; her mother, an energetic though disarranged steward of her poet-father's memory; and their circle of visitors who cannot abide living writers--all point to a critique of a literary establishment and its morbid maintenance of the literary past as the only worthwhile present. Night and Day is a portrait of Virginia Woolf's and (her sister) Vanessa Bell's family home at Hyde Park Gate, ruled by Leslie Stephen, who, as an influential man of letters and steward to the Victorian literary establishment, is Mr. and Mrs. Hilbery combined. ... "He received her assurance with profound joy. Quietly and steadily there rose up behind the whole aspect of life that soft edge of fire which gave its red tint to the atmosphere and crowded the scene with shadows so deep and dark that one could fancy pushing farther into their density and still farther, exploring indefinitely." Woolf's reputation declined sharply after World War II, but her eminence was re-established with the surge of Feminist criticism in the 1970s. After a few more ideologically based altercations, not least caused by claims that Woolf was anti-semitic and a snob, it seems that a critical consensus has been reached regarding her stature as a novelist. Virginia Woolf's peculiarities as a fiction writer have tended to obscure her central strength. The intensity of Virginia Woolf's poetic vision elevates the ordinary, sometimes banal settings of most of her novels, even as they are often set in an environment of war. For example, Mrs. Dalloway (1925) centres on the efforts of Clarissa Dalloway, a middle-aged society woman, to organize a party, even as her life is paralleled with that of Septimus Warren Smith, a working-class veteran who has returned from the First World War bearing deep psychological scars. To the Lighthouse (1927) is set on two days ten years apart. The plot centers around the Ramsay family's anticipation of and reflection upon a visit to a lighthouse and the connected familial tensions. One of the primary themes of the novel is the struggle in the creative process that beset painter Lily Briscoe while she struggles to paint in the midst of the family drama. The novel is also a meditation upon the lives of a nation's inhabitants in the midst of war, and of the people left behind. The Waves (1931) presents a group of six friends whose reflections, which are closer to recitatives than to interior monologues proper, create a wave-like atmosphere that is more akin to a prose poem than to a plot-centered novel. Her last work, Between the Acts (1941) sums up and magnifies Woolf's chief preoccupations: the transformation of life through art, sexual ambivalence, and meditation on the themes of flux of time and life, presented simultaneously as corrosion and rejuvenation - all set in a highly imaginative and symbolic narrative encompassing almost all of English history. Recently, studies of Virginia Woolf have focused on feminist and lesbian themes in her work, such as in the 1997 collection of critical essays, Virginia Woolf: Lesbian Readings, edited by Eileen Barrett and Patricia Cramer. The Hours is a 2002 Academy Award winning film and Best Picture nominee about three women of different generations and times whose lives are interconnected by Virginia Woolf's novel, Mrs. Dalloway. All the action takes place within the span of one day.
Trish New, author of The Thrill of Hope and South State Street Journal.

As in the other Virginia Woolf books I have read, what strikes me first and foremost is the wonderful writing. The descriptions are phenomenal, starting with the surroundings and continuing with the character's facial expressions. Some of the passages are pure poetry and the characters are beautifully and consistently drawn out. Oddly, although we know that Katharine is beautiful, we do not get a description of her, or of any other person in the story, with the exception of William Rodney.

Woolf became a little heavy when it went into the minds of the characters who are in crises, but as one reaches the end of the book, all is forgiven.

An excellent read!

Here is an artist at work, painting the nuances of the heart, creating living people, reacting to the subtleties of mood, ambiance, the weather, and external perceptions that make up how we live and who we are. No matter what you think of these people, you have a chance to live with them and understand them, feel their conflicts, their love, and their pains. Virginia Woolf is the ballast that offsets all the one-book-wonder authors, the cynics, the nasty moderns, and those authors who have given up on anything positive in the world. Like Shakespeare, her work will live on long after so many others are forgotten. That's because she offers us art, hope, vision, and the truth about our humanity. It's all here in this book, if you choose to read it.

I received "Quilts of Virginia 1607-1899" as a gift. It's not the kind of book that I would have been inclined to buy for myself, simply because quilts are way beyond my customary range of interests. However, the hidden delights of "Quilts of Virginia" fit easily within my areas of interest. It is not merely a book about quilts. "Quilts of Virginia" is a history book, an art book, a photography book, and in parts, a book about both poetry and the law. The book has nearly as many facets as the quilts that it so vibrantly portrays. It captures the readers' attention, even the attention of individuals whose range of interests might not include quilting. The photographs are abundant and excellent. I found "Quilts of Virginia" to be an unexpected delight, highly informative, and extremely interesting.

This book is a work of art (Barbara Tricarico's photographs are stunning) but at the same time, it is a thoroughly researched, comprehensive history of quilting in Virginia - the authors did a wonderful job - I loved it!

Quilts of Virginia, 1607-1899: The Birth of America Through the Eye of a Needle
Congratulations to the creators of this book, the Virginia Consortium of Quilters. This is beautifully illustrated and very well written. I very much enjoy reading the history of quilting and learning about the States of America, this book is one of the best that I have read. Virginia is such a rich source of inspiration and the material that these authors have found is just wonderful. Sometimes history books can be a bit dry and technical, this is one that should find a home in every quilters collection.Well done and I look forward to any further works that may be currently a "work in progress".

Fantastic Book. Can't stop looking at it. Fabulous addition to my
quilt library!!!!

I have almost every State Documentation book published, and this is one of the best. There are wonderful stories that go with every quilt. The pictures are in gorgeous color. Loved every page.

Having just visited Williamsburg, I read The River Where America Began. It brought to life all of which I had just seen, but in clear vivid and historically correct detail. I was instantly immersed into the culture and events of the time. Bob Deans writes beautifully and I can't wait to see whats next.

This history book was very informative. I was born in the area. Very detailed summary of landscape in early times. Well written from political and historical point of view. Easy to comprehend and fully factual. Good book to read more than once.

Hi,

I am reading this book right now and am on page 238 of 287. This is the most readable "history" book I have ever read. I would give it a 4 1/2 out of 5 really. He gets into the baptism of Pochohontas and gets a little sharp with the tongue. Don't pass up on this book though because of a few pages. Everyones opinion still matters. I do like how it's in a storybook format and I do like the authors opinion most of the time. I would say the book is 85% fact, %15 opinion.

Very knowledgable writer. A book that gives you the framework to be educated about American history in discussions with your friends. No thanksgiving story and they lived happily ever after. America was founded by immigrants and freedom fighters, criminals, slaves, and Native Americans obviously.

Thanks. God Bless.

Aaron.

If you didn't take or do well in early American history class, this book will go a long way to help. Bob Deans, informatively and entertainingly, chronicles the first foreign footprints on American soil. In doing so, he sympathetically gives the natives their due, while exploring with reportorial acumen, the inexorable march, good and bad, toward democracy, all of which started "along the James," in Dean's beloved state.

This is a wonderfully written, informative book that focuses on the history that happened on the James River from 1607 to 1865.

Like any good storyteller, Deans illuminates specific characters (John Smith, Pocahontas, Powhatan, Patrick Henry and Abraham Lincoln among them), to shed light on the whole. And the whole is this: That the two original sins of the American experiment -- our near-genocidal treatment of the Indians and our institution of black slavery -- began here, early in our formative years, on the banks of the James River in Virginia. At the very same time and in the very same place, began our very real belief in a democratic government of laws and not of men.

On this river was nurtured the the notion that all men were created equal, even as those who proclaimed liberty and equality denied it (and increasingly codified that denial) to a whole race of men and women.

That such schizophrenia of national psyche could not long endure seems obvious. And the fever that provided the cure finally broke here, too, on the banks of the James in April 1865.

This is a terrific book. However, the publisher, I believe, has let the writer down in two respects: It could use more maps. When Deans writes of someone rounding this point, exploring this tributary or inhabiting that island, I want to have a map close at hand to see for myself. There are a few maps, and they are good, but I would like more.

And here's a thing sure to rankle any West Virginian ex-copy editor: In the chapter on John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry (then Virginia, today West Virginia), it says he was hanged in nearby Charleston. As any Mountain Stater (and probably even some Virginians) know, Charleston, the state capital, is in the south central part of the state. Charles Town, where they have horse racing, is in the Eastern Panhandle. Charles Town is close to Harper's Ferry, not Charleston. (And as any newspaperman knows, Charleston, Charles Town is an AP Stylebook entry. I presume the error is an editor's and not Deans'.)

if you don't no how too cook, you will, after reading this books. just good old soul food.

I bought this book because i'm interested in the experiences, recipes and thoughts of such a well-traveled, Southern cook. I am not disappointed! The reading is enjoyable, the recipes delicious and the Southern "angle" to the recipes (maybe not healty; but, undoubtedly delicious) is worth the inexpensive price alone. It's like your grandma is telling you her wisdom and secrets; a vanishing breed--that's for sure. Buy it.

Great cook book and My wife says for you to look for a COUNTRY COOKING recipe book on here by Pattie Hensley. My wife says both are two of the best country cooking recipe books out here. We saw Pattie Hensley and Her Husband, Douglas Hensley, who also writes books, on a morning TV show. I have seen Mr. Douglas Hensley on many TV paranormal TV shows such as Sightings, Encounters, and many more. Contrary to what HARDLUCK says read all my reviews. I am not telling anyone to buy any book, just stating my opinion on what my wife and I like.

When I first started cooking I relied on recipes that had been in the family a long time; as I started branching out and trying new recipes though, I would frequently browse my mother's cookbook collection. One day as I was thumbing through them I came across a book entitled "A Taste of Country Cooking" by Edna Lewis. I opened it up, intrigued by the cover and wound up reading the whole thing, as I would a novel, then and there. Reading her book was like stepping through a portal to another world; that of a lively, down-home southern family and their way of life 50 years ago. I was initiated into their methods of preparing, harvesting and cooking their food as well as the "rituals" that surround them.
One of my favorite things about "A Taste of Country Cooking" is the layout: it is divided by the different seasons and subdivided within those categories by meal (i.e. breakfast, dinner, supper). Because of this display style Lewis was able to relate intimate details of how food for that season was prepared; in that time the food people cooked depended largely on what was ripe in the garden and what kind of meat was available during that time of year etc.
A favorite section of mine is the one located in the spring section of her book when she relates how all the men in her community would gather together to slaughter their hogs; it was fascinating reading about that process, so many methods such as these have been lost over the generations. Her book captured a slice of a forgotten time and allowed me a glimpse into the past.
I used this cookbook for the first time when I was looking for a recipe for Johnny Cake (a sweet thin cornbread) because I couldn't find my mothers' recipe. I decided to alter the spoon bread recipe (since the ingredients were similar) and see if it could double for Johnny Cake as well. It turned out perfectly; in my eyes the mark of a good recipe is its versatility and hers more than met my criteria. Every recipe I've tried in "A Taste of Country Cooking" has been excellent. Her recipe for spoon bread when unaltered comes out just right: tangy (from the buttermilk), moist but not too dense, buttery without being overly rich; it's the perfect compliment to a dinner of pork roast or ham with fresh vegetable sides, her mother would probably have served green beans and new potatoes as an accompaniment.
My grandmother was the epitome of an old fashioned southern cook; she made fried okra, pork-chops, biscuits and gravy with tomatoes, purplehull peas, and
cornbread - in short if it was traditional old south she made it. Even though Edna Lewis and my grandmother came from different regions of the south (Virginia and Arkansas respectively) there are many similarities in the type of foods prepared and also the method of preparation. Edna Lewis's cook book "A Taste of Country Living" is full of authentic southern recipes, if you're interested in cooking old south or for the history in the book alone, I would recommend it as a worthy addition to your personal library.

Edna- if I could have accomplished a fraction of what you have in my life, I would be thrilled. What an outstanding, down-to-earth sort of cook. I hope you have a great internet connection in heaven, and I hope they are letting you cook! None of her books are to be missed- at any price. Simple, but wonderful. Like so many others who I grew up with, who never recorded any of their recipes.... thank God for all of us you did.

After having purchased Miss Edna's book with Scott Peacock, I was sure I needed this one too - I was right! This book is a cookbook as well as a history book and provides great insight into a time forgotten by many. No you can't easily get hog jowls or some of the wild greens but you can take those concepts and apply them to today's ingredients. These recipes take me back to the simple but fabulous meals my grandmothers' and great aunts use to prepare from my childhood. I can still remember those tastes and how important the seasons were - the great expectations that autumn brought with it knowing the relatives would be coming up from 'Carolina' with the sweetest, crispest apples you could imagine or the popcorn made in the open fireplace as a treat while we cracked corn for the animals winter feed. All that and I was a City kid so imagine what it was like when you really lived that way every day. I didn't appreciate those recipes and the art of food preservation until it was too late - both grandmothers were gone but Miss Edna has provided some recipes and insight into those times. Her cookbooks provide a link to my past - a virtual hug and some very tasty comfort food.

If you're from the South,good cooking skills and between 50-60, I suggest you consider this book seriously. You don't want this food heritage to die.

I love Southern everything. Wanted to cook some authentic dishes, this was ok... I tried a few, then
got bored, not exactly super... not bad, but no stars in my eyes.

This book is an eye opener into the life and legacy of Edna Lewis. I tried some of the simple recipes and loved them, this book is like a treasure chest that will fill your home with the most amazing smells. And almost makes you want to move to the south!

This book is more than a cookbook. Each section describes the setting, purpose and the details about the ingredients used. It is a history book, too. Even 'tho we have quick and easy ingredients, Edna beleived in doing things from scratch and the fresher the product, the better. Wonderful reading. The Parker House rolls and the Sweet Potatoe Pie are awesome!!!

I bought this book as a gift without having seen it first hand.

The response was so exciting that I've given it again and again as well as bought one for myself...

If you are a person who enjoys reading cookbooks as well as trying new recipes and eating the delicious results, this unusually fine book is a triple treat for you & your lucky friends.

Ruth Ann Musick, The Telltale Lilac Bush and Other West Virginia Ghost Tales (University Press of Kentucky, 1965)

Musick presents us one hundred ghost stories from her extensive folklore collection. She makes no effort to doll them up (though she does say in her preface that she edited them, some heavily, to take out redundancy), and so they often read quite plain; those looking for a Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark-esque compendium will be disappointed here, as Musick chooses the stories she presents in order to illuminate a specific type of ghost story or a specific set of commonalities. I would think this would be of most use to a writer who's looking for an interesting subplot or the like; there's a great deal of primary source to be mined here. ***

I bought this book "Telltale Lilac Bush and Other West Virginia Ghost Tales" for my Grand-daughter, and started reading it myself, we both really enjoyed it, I am 59 and she is 11. This is a great read for anyone.

I have wanted this book for awhile and Amazon is where I found it, and I really like the book and it is in excellent condition.

Simply put, this book scared the crap out of me when I was little, and largely influenced my fascination with the horror genre all together. Who knew WV had such great lore?

This book, is simply put, perfection. I remember reading this book when I was in middle school, and I have kept a copy with me since. Now being almost 30 years old, it shows that this book can make an indellible impression on people.

My only dissapointments are, that it may be the most complete listing of paranormal stories on west virgina folklore, It can never house all the stories out there. Simply put, there just isnt enough room.

Another dissapointment, is that people from outside of the region, have no clue about this book, its existance, or just what a good read they are missing out on.

No matter the books current cost, its worth every penny and then some

Enjoy

Viro Los Diablos