Maine Books

These trips taken before the Civil War, Thoreau makes the journey that people dream of today. He had to be one of the first conservationists, noting that killing animals indiscrimenatly and over-harvesting the forest was a bad thing. Yet even back then he recounts seeing these practices being done. It was fun to follow his trail on the Gazetteer, and find the names of the rivers and lakes that the Indians had given them.

Published posthumously, this volume lacks some cohesiveness as it is divided into 3 separate trips. Thoreau is a master of blending materials from different experiences into one single cohesive and consistent volume -- he did that in Walden (which gives one the feel of one year even though he lived there for about two years) and Cape Code (which gives one the feel of one long walk, even though the material is from several trips), so it makes me wonder what he could have done had he been able to finish this book in his lifetime?

That being said, it is still a great book. Thoreau's observations of nature and of Native American people are vivid, his cry for conservation profound and still resonating. There are also sparks of the dry New England humor here and there, making it a very enjoyable read. One only wishes that he had lived longer and given us more -- what if he had been to the Rockies, the desert southwest? It gives me chills just thinking about it.

In a sense this is a travelogue, but I don't think we should be too critical in judging it -- not every book has to be Walden, and there can only be one Walden after all. It is a travelogue with authentic Thoreau flavor. I would gladly take 10 more travelogues like this one if only I could.

What a shame most people will never get beyond Walden...

This title is a joy and stands on its own. First up is a short piece about an early ascent of Ktaadn, followed by a longer one on the Allegash & East Branch. If you read nothing else, open it to the middle of pg 22 (& ends on 23). It will take 1 minute and enthrall you with observations and the call of the Wild Boreal North Woods as they were long before roads or even trails and certainly before the great northern paper companies cut their unending swaths through virgin lands. His reflections on the ponds and natives (the Brookies) are as intimate and priceless as the jewels themselves. His opine references to the Greeks are as relevant today as they were then or 4,000 years ago. I first came across a copy in the White House Library (at a dinner reception i could not resist seeing what comforted our leaders during long & troubled nights). It took me several years to track down a copy but it was worth the process.

Do not read this and compare it to Walden or as a some window into Thoreau, but for sheer joy of kicking off the canoe at Telos and the wonder of the north country.

"The Maine Woods" relates three separate trips Henry Thoreau made to the Mount Katahdin and Allagash Wilderness Waterway region of Maine At 29 years old in 1846, at 36 years old in 1853, and at 40 years old in 1857. In each of the stories he travels with a friend by rail, steamboat, and coach to the starting point, hires a guide, and embarks on his adventure. Even for a reader familiar with the region, it is essential to keep a map handy to follow the author in his travels. In the first trip he hires a local outfitter as a guide, and poles up the West Branch of the Penobscot River, across lakes and up streams, as close to Mt. Katahdin as he can get, then climbs to the summit of what the Indians called Ktaadn, or "highest land," and now called Mt. Katahdin. His route up the mountain approximated what we now know as the Abol trail, though with no trail to follow, his experience was very different from today's Abol daypacker. He summited on a cloudy day, and missed out on the breathtaking views, though he did get infected with the spiritual bug, and he waxes philosophical as he makes his way back down. Thoreau's enduring memory of the region is "the continuousness of the forest." Thanks to the generous 209,501 acre gift of one of Maine's Governors, Percival Baxter, that memory of Thoreau's is also likely to be yours.

By contrast, the second story is less adventurous, being a canoe-camping trip on Chesuncook and surrounding lakes. Thoreau ends the story reflecting on man's vulnerability in the wilderness, and prays that man will not become "civilized off the face of the earth." I take this trip to be fundamentally a reconnaissance for the third and most ambitious of his trips, titled "The Allagash and East Branch." He went to Maine this time intending to make the standard Allagash Wilderness Waterway trip that many of us plan and few ever make. He lets himself get talked out of it and into a considerably more difficult trip. He starts as with the Chesuncook trip, but carries on northward into Chamberlain, Eagle, Telos, and Webster Lakes, and through Webster Stream to Second Lake and Great Lake Matagamon. From there it's flat water down the East Branch of the Penobscot. The Webster Stream segment was basically a ten mile portage. Fortunately he had hired a most remarkable Indian Guide, Joe Polis. Polis took his homemade birch bark canoe down through the Webster Stream rapids alone, and Thoreau and his companion (whom he unaccountably never names), fought their way through the thick underbrush and the jumble of trees along the riverbank. In summary, he takes the West Branch upstream as far as it goes, traverses the high elevation lakes over to the headwaters of the East Branch, and completely circles the Katahdin massif in the process.

Thoreau does not consistently delight the reader with is craft; his creative spirit is intermittent. But when inspired, he rises to the task:

Referring to the logs which get hung up along the shore, waiting for a freshet to carry them down to the sawmill, he writes, "Methinks that must be where all my property lies, cast up on the rocks along some distant and unexplored stream, and waiting for an unheard of freshet to fetch it down."

And about the noises he hears at night, "When camping in such a wilderness as this, you are prepared to hear sounds from some of its inhabitants which give voice to its wildness."

And his boatmen: "...so cool, so collected, so fertile in resources are they."

And anyone who has trod through the dark, damp woods between those lakes will recognize this: "It was impossible for us to discern the Indian's trail in the elastic moss, which like a thick carpet, covered every rock and fallen tree, as well as the earth.

And while experiencing one of the Allagash's classic thunderstorms: "I thought it must be a place where the thunder loved, where the lightning practiced to keep its hand in, and it would do no harm to shatter a few pines.

This screed from Thoreau is obviously not as classic as his work on Walden, but here we may be seeing the beginning of the travelogue business. Thoreau is often misrepresented (by those who haven't read his works, or have read them too many times) as a hardcore back-to-nature hermit who lived off the land and rejected civilization. One read of his Walden story disproves that stereotype, and in this work about three trips to Maine's wild country, we can surely see Thoreau's social side all the more. At the time, the Maine Woods were surely a thrilling landscape ripe for exploration and adventure, and Thoreau gives us an enjoyable travelogue of his ramblings and recreations. A bonus is great coverage of the Indians of the area, especially Thoreau's longtime traveling colleague Joe Polis. The only problem here is that Thoreau's introspective naturalist philosophy is mostly missing at this stage of his career, and he pretty much accidentally invents descriptive travel writing instead. This is still a worthy exploration if you're interested in the Maine Woods either as they were then or if you wish to explore them today. But Thoreau's classic naturalism is better found in his other works. [~doomsdayer520~]

The Maine woods are never the same after being visited by Hawkeye and Trapper John.

I'm a big fan of the TV series of MASH, but had not read the original book. This sequel has some funny scenes on the golf course and in the hospital. The story involves Hawkeye, now back in his home state of Maine, and his plans to reunite the 4077 MASH team there. The commentary on the local doctors and their lack of ability is scathing. The descriptions of Maine characters, behavior and speech patterns was sometimes baffling, but maybe my two summers in Maine hasn't been enough exposure to recognize the real Maine types shown in the book.
If you want Maine humor, I'd recommend The New Saturday Night at Moody's Diner by Tim Sample.

There are a lot of "MASH goes to..." books. This is the original and one of the best. The first sequel to MASH, this novel brings the characters from the original stateside. If you've read any of the other MASH goes to books (written by Richard Hooker and William E. Butterworth, though I strongly suspect except for lending his name, Hooker had nothing to do with) and were disgusted by how tedius and down-right horrible they were, don't let them put you off this book. This, along with MASH Mania, was written by Hooker himself and is every bit as good as the Butterworth books are bad.

OF THE INEVITABLE GREAT MOVIE THAT WOULD COME FROM THIS INCREDIBLE BOOK!????

I HATE THE TV SERIES MASH!!!!!!!!!

THE MOVIE AND BOOKS ARE THE ONLY MASH!!!!!!

THERE'S A REASON WHY MASH DIRECTOR ROBERT ALTMAN HATED THE SHOW!!

anyway great read.

"M*A*S*H Goes to Maine" is Richard Hooker's hilarious sequel to his classic book "MASH" and, for once, the sequel is better! Living a quiet life in Maine after the Korean War, doctors "Hawkeye" Pierce, "Duke" Forrest and "Trapper John" McIntyre are at it again, trying to establish a medical hospital while fighting the snobbiest doctors in America. Funny and very relaxing, you'll love "M*A*S*H Goes to Maine".

Len, has put this right where we were at that time and place. You become a part of the book and feel you are reliving some of your past. Easy book to read, one to make you feel warm and fuzzy. What else can we ask of a book, but to put us right in with the author. Felt as though I was back on the team, rooting for the home team, snuggling in the back seat, dancing at the sock hops. Wonderful, Wonderful, are real visionary.

I enjoyed the book very much. I did however find it a bit slow in the beginning, because I am not a sports fan and did not understand the sports part. I did however learn about the Jewish faith and found it very interesting.

I enjoyed The Reunion a story and time i can relate to as i grew up in the 50s . It brought backlots of memories of a much slower and fun time . Made me laugh and made me cry and brought back memories of loves and feelings of long ago. I sincerly hope Leon writes more books for us to enjoy.

I enjoyed the story so much . Mr. Grossman is a very talented writer.I laughed in parts and felt his sorrow.

The Reunion was one of those stories that graps you from the start and won't let you go. Once I picked it up and started reading , couldn't put it down till I was finished. The author puts the reader right there with the characters.

Yes, this is a delightful read. Full of the nice things about living in rural Maine. It's one of the reasons why I bought a house in Temple and moved not more than a stone's throw from Temple Stream. Everyone who reads this book should come to Temple, attempt to canoe on the stream and meet the locals. That way they can know the facts and not the fiction (laughing)!

After reading this book by my neighbor and living on Temple Stream I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Temple Stream has been apart of my life for 60+ yrs.

Like looking back at our beautiful blue planet from space, reading this book offered me a generous and moving view of a place called Temple Stream, a place I had never heard of, even after more than a half-century of living in Maine. I especially appreciate the fact that the author chose to explore his own backyard.

Traveling back through time and up and down the river and the hilly terrain around it, the author reveals a host of treasures: ephemeral plants, unusual geological formations, eccentric local characters, well-known literary figures, and his own beloveds-wife, child, and dogs. The reader feels the author's wide-ranging love and appreciation of all that he writes about, and that is perhaps the book's greatest gift. And like love, the book doesn't progress in a linear, logical fashion but rather in spirals that glow with the author's own fascination for his subjects.

This book isn't only about a stream: it's about all of us, the places we have known (but maybe not as widely and deeply as we might have!), and the ever-present web of interconnection. For the curious, for those who love history, geology, sociology, story-telling, and art--all rendered with a local spin and chock-full of everyday detail--I heartily recommend this book. After reading it, your own backyard may never look the same again.

Temple Stream by Bill Roorbach fills just about every requirement I have for an absolutely enjoyable and delightful read. This work is one man's story, or journey, if you will, of his life near a small stream near Farmington Maine. The author is with his wife, two dogs, eventually his newborn daughter, and a collection of local characters that drift in and out of his story. This is a multilevel work and there are bits and pieces for just about everyone. I will say right now that this book was one of the more enjoyable reads I have had over the past several years and will quite likely give it further reads in the future.

The author, a teacher by profession, and his wife buy a small place near a small stream in a small town in Maine. This is the story of parts of his life while living in this rural setting. The primary focus is the stream, "Temple Stream," and his relationship, observations and adventures as he explores the environment around him and the local history. The journey the author takes covers several years and Roorbach has quite skillfully blended these years, the side trips, his encounters with the locals and family matters together to bring us a wonderful feeling of "being there." Bill Roorbach's skill as a nature writer is considerable. While not as detailed as Edwin Way Teale's work, or Allen W. Eskert's, his writing skills are certainly better, or at least equal to. By the way, I very much recommend both these authors, in particular Eskert's "Wild Season."

This book, while certainly a full story, is actually a group of essays, linked by the common factor of the stream. I am a word junkie, and the author's use of very obscure phrases, words, and his odd syntax ware a pure delight for me. To understand what the author is doing (in my opinion, and I might well be wrong), can best be accomplished by reading the poem by Theodore Enslin, The Town That Ends the Road, which the author uses to close his work. I would recommend you go to the back of the book, read the poem first, and then read the book. It will give you a better understanding of just what the author is doing with his wonderful word play.

In addition, I personally was able to make an instant connection with this writer which is always a good thing. Our lives have been quite alike in many ways, our backgrounds quite similar. I have been absolutely addicted to streams (we call them creeks here) since I was a very young boy and still am. We have a small stream that runs behind our house that I have been exploring for the past 25 years. Like the author, I spend the majority of my wonderings and poking around with my dogs, whose company I much prefer over most humans. The on the spot study of natural history has been a life long habit for me and I verge on being a fanatic as to birding. The author and I share the same attitudes in many ways, have the same outlook on life in general, and where it not for the time and geographical differences, I swear we dated the same girl in college. I found this wonderful. This is just me though. There is no doubt in my mind that if you enjoy a good read, you will enjoy this one, no matter your background.

This is a wonderful and delightful read. If you enjoy good nature writing, fresh, non-judgmental views of our environment, great word play, and interesting observations on human nature, you will most certainly enjoy this one. If this is any indication of Roorbach's skill as a writer, I plan to search out his other books.

Often the journey is more important than the destination, and that's the sort of journey author Bill Roorbach traveled in writing this delightful book. In 1992 Roorbach and his wife bought an old house on the banks of the Temple Stream in rural Maine. Their occupancy of the house was frequently interrupted by career needs, but they always returned to their stream-side home with joy and relief.

The Temple Stream rises from a well-hidden artesian spring (sorry, that COULD be seen as a spoiler) on Day Mountain in Avon, my town, and gathers influence on its trip through Temple to join the Sandy River in Farmington, and from there to the Kennebec River, Merrymeeting Bay, and the Gulf of Maine. In the 19th century the stream drove dozens of mills -- sawmills, gristmills, fulling mills. Products of the mills were consumed locally or shipped downstream, bringing wealth back upstream. All that industry washed away when the railroad came, providing a means for raw ingredients to be transported to central mills. Roorbach refers to this change as "the true down-trickle of economics" (p. 14).

Fascinated by the natural history of the region, Roorbach formed the intention of traveling the full length of the Temple, by canoe and on foot. He began this project in the summer of 1999 and completed it at the winter solstice in late 2000.

Temple Stream: A Rural Odyssey is the story of that quest, interspersed with his personal history, the history of the local settlements, and a Pandora's box of the rich environment around the stream. Roorbach observes the beavers and describes their impact on the stream; consults a field botanist for more detailed understanding of the flora of the region; calls on his lifelong interest in bird-watching; and grows in appreciation of our watery planet through a chance encounter with an elderly hydrologist, found barefoot in a flood pipe with her long skirt rucked up. Local characters and customs are whimsically described, some of them "composites;" I won't meet the Thoreau-quoting giant Earl Pomeroy or the mad house-sitter Mrs. Bollocks on my errands in town but their ways are familiar.

All these characters, all the small renewals of nature, even the birth of Roorbach's daughter are presented in a gentle and contemplative style and loosely marked off by solstice and equinox. There are no real denouements here, but if you've ever lost yourself for a while in a stream and wondered where it's going, this book may bring you some of the pleasure it brought me. If you have any interest in memoirs of rural life, I recommend this book to you.

Linda Bulger, 2008

Voyage is such a wonderful representation of Franco-phones and Francophiles...it combines stories, history, and a plethora of other materials that help make up the pathwork that is Franco-America and its people. Dr. Rodrigue made sure that a large group of voices were heard in the publishing of this anthology...such an amazing read and a must for anyone interested in learning about the many facets of this culture!

I especially enjoyed Christian Potholm's, DeAlva Stanwood Alexander Professor of Government at Bowdoin College, article on Franco-American political behavior and Ross and Judy Paradis' article on the suppression of the French language in Aroostook County.

As a Franco-American, I think it is important for people of all nationalities to read this. This book is a great collection that shows the variances in experiences of moving to a new country. This book is a great template for future books about those who have come to America, and have struggled to find their place within a new society. As someone previously stated, it is not about whining about learning English (although it isn't the easiest language to learn), it's just a book to open the eyes of those who are ignorant to the different cultures within this society, and think that every immigrant should be treated differently. This book carries over to the present, where there are still numerous cultures coming to this country, and fighting against discrimination and hatred and working harder than most of us to provide for their families. To those who couldn't make that distinction from this great read, I am appalled.

I come from a Franco-American family and it is so great to have a book that helps me to get in touch with my family heritage. This is not a book that complains about how they were forced to conform to the english language, it is a book so people can share their stories and experiences with a generation that has lost their Franco-American backgrounds. I found this book to be very interesting and it helped me to learn a lot about my family and the kind of society they lived in. As with any minority group the Franco-Americans struggles with their identity and holding on to their traditions from their homeland. I love this book and would recommend it to anyone who would love to learn more about the Franco-American culture.

The history books alone will tell the INFORMED reader of the challenges the French-heritage group, often seen as a "minority," which in actuality constitutes a majority in some geographical locations, were faced with in their migration to the U.S. The knowledge gap, which this volume fills, about the French-heritage population, that in fact permeates the continent, is an important book that rounds out the untold history, stories, poetry, etc. of the Franco-American, French Canadian people. The stories of the men and women who help build and sustain the communities they immigrated to needs to be told and this book addresses that need. This is a book which can be used in the classroom as well as read in the community for summer pleasure reading! Bon Lecture!Wednesdays Child

Paul Watkins has displayed a masterpiece of mystery, politics and suspense in his book Arch Angel. Set in the last remnants of the old Algonquin, Watkins takes us deep into the roots of those who populate Abenaki Junction. He tells the story from different perceptions, which allows us to see how diverse ideals lead to very different lives, and how radical actions can be when one is under great pressure. He pushes the bravery threshold of many of his characters, some of which are defending them from death at the time. Watkins is not afraid to attack the topic of clear cutting, which is under great controversy in many parts of the world. If you do not mind gore as well as passion, then read through this heart-racing book, which will keep you turning pages late into the night. Since the topics and ideals can be reached on many levels, this book is targeted at teens and adults. Watkins words will help you see light through a great canopy of trees. A must read for an open-minded person!

Full of action and drama from page one through to page 287, Paul Watkins has created a novel that is perhaps the most reader friendly novel out there. A fantastic tale of mystery, violence and love set in front of a background as perplexing and intriguing as the story itself. A true must buy that is a steal at Amazon.com's low price ...

If an author really captures our imagination and regularly delivers a superior product, then I'm willing to be patient when they try something new, even if I prefer the stuff that earned their reputation (Sharon Kay Penman's mysteries vs. her historical epics), and forgiving with efforts that don't quite hit the mark. Unfortunately, I think that this is something of a misfire for Watkins, who is pretty nearly my favorite writer.

This is his sixth novel and, like each of the previous books, it opens up a new world in a level of detail that is truly remarkable (Watkins notoriously immerses himself in the milieu of his subject before writing his books). This time the setting is the Northwoods of Maine, where mill owner Noah McKenzie has been granted logging rights to a stand of trees, the Algonquin Wilderness, in the days before it becomes a nature preserve. McKenzie is a figure of Ahab like obsession, determined to clear cut the forest where he lost a leg in a wood cutting accident years before. Arrayed against him are: the woman who owns the local environmentally conscious newspaper; an ecoterrorist named Adam Gabriel who is driven by the environmental destruction he saw in the burning oilfields of Kuwait; the foreman of his mill; and even his own wife. As Gabriel escalates his monkey wrenching tactics, McKenzie turns to a mercenary friend and soon enough there is open warfare in the woods. Lurking in the dark like a deus ex machina is a grizzled old seemingly unkillable bear that the locals call No Ears.

Now, as you can see from the myriad elements that are brought together here, there's just a little too much room for melodrama and, indeed, there are points when the story slides over the edge into unbelievability. But my real complaint is that Watkins, who is normally a more subtle author, has really stacked the moral deck. Rather than have McKenzie and Gabriel meet as idealistic moral equals, Watkins tips his hand from the get go and portrays McKenzie as a malevolent force, hell bent on destruction for it's own sake. Setting aside my own political inclination to cut the mill owner some slack, I think it would simply be a more interesting story if McKenzie were more ambiguous, if it were harder to choose sides in the explosive showdown.

But as I said, I'm willing to go a little easy on these complaints because I've liked Watkin's prior works so much and even amidst the facets I disliked, there is much to like here.

GRADE: B-

Watkins perfectly depicts the dualing emotions involved whenever money and big business come up against what is best for the long term common good. This is poetry in action. If you want a book that will eat at your conscience and one that causes you to reexamine your very value system this is it! Paul Watkins in a brilliant writer and a true asset to his generation!

Eco-terrorism never seemed like an honest moral choice-until now (although in fairness, the young radical hero's actions are more monkey-wrenching than terrorism). Paul Watkins' suspenseful novel is at once character-and plot- driven.
Watkins' books always have a moral core, and that is particularly true of this book. This work is a morality play, with multiple comments and themes on environmental issues, the effects of war, and basic good and evil. I cannot recommend this book enough-for the life of me, I cannot fathom a recommendation of less than 5 stars.

I cannot praise Ralph Moody enough. This book is so well structured and well written that it is obviously a "made" work, but that certainly doesn't make it false. It is a truthful story inasmuch as the characters speak as they should, and the times are brought alive as good writing should do.
An emotion-packed experience perfect for taking us back one hundred years. Highly recommended!

I recommend this series as a great alternative for boys who just don't like the idea of the Little House series. It is a well written series that really keeps the young and old alike interested in the way life was 100yrs ago.

This is the chronological fifth in Ralph Moody's series of memoirs, and while I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I have the previous titles, it definitely chronicles a major phase in his life. In 1912, at age fourteen and a half, he has repeatedly run afoul of the police chief in Medford, who seems to think he's bound for reform school, so his mother sends him to Maine to stay on her father's farm. Unfortunately she neglects to explain to her father exactly why she's doing it, and Grandfather labors under the delusion that she wants him to "make a man of him." And there Ralph's troubles begin.

Grandfather Gould is perhaps the most vivid character I've found yet in Moody's books. Past 70, he is (as his younger brother, Uncle Levi, explains to Ralph) bound by his position as a son born when his father was even older than himself (and already had a grown-up "first family") and "spoiled rotten" in consequence. "Father and the Almighty stand about shoulder to shoulder in Thomas's eyes," says Levi, "and the land they left him is holy ground." He can't see any way of doing things except the way his father taught him--the old, pre-industrial, farm-by-hand way--and as age closes in on him he has let the place go back mostly to pasture. Ralph sometimes comes close to tears at being called useless and worthless and a "tarnal fool boy," getting senseless jobs to do and being rebuked for "wastin'" or wanting to use "work-saving contraptions." Cranky, erratic, often laid low by the chronic malaria that is his legacy from a term in a Confederate prison camp, Grandfather succeeds in driving away just about everyone who cares about him, including his brother and his long-suffering housekeeper Millie. Another splendid character, as well drawn as any human in the book, is "the yella colt," an irascible buckskin work horse who's far from being a colt but apparently was never told so; to save his own hide Ralph is forced to improvise a way of teaching him who's boss, though Grandfather keeps undoing his efforts.

In this book, Moody admits for the first time how difficult it was for him to adjust to life in the East after his years in Colorado and how much he missed both the "wide open spaces" and his work with his understanding father. More than once his grandfather's ways rub him so raw that he makes plans to run away and go back to the West he loves. Yet he also experiences the innocent joys of first love, and in the end he realizes how truly alike he and Grandfather are and how Maine has a beauty of its own, and the book ends on a positive note as the two seem to reconcile, having finally agreed to try some of the boy's ideas.

I have read all of the Little Britches books many times over the years, including reading them aloud. I recommend all of them heartily.
Now I have some real problems with the audio books versions. Mispronounced words! And I checked everyone I questioned, just a few listed here. Cameron Beierle, the reader, should check a dictionary.
This may seem nit picking, but I wince every time I hear one of the many mispronunciations, and I think of those who may not understand what he is saying, or worse, might think he is right.
Victuals -- it is not pronounced as it is spelled. It is vit'ls. We may mock what we consider illiterate pronunciations, but it is correctly vit'l (vittles)
Mow -- you moe - long o - the grass or the hay, but you then store the hay in the mow -- to rhyme with cow. Over and over the reader says moe.
Row -- same objection. Things grow in a roe, long o, but when you have a fight or a quarrel, you row -- again rhyming with cow. It may be a back formation from rouse, and that gives a key to how it should be pronounced.
My comments apply only to the books as read by Cameron Beierle. The books are wonderful, but I should have read them aloud myself and recorded them.

Having read the first several volumes of Ralph Moody's works, I didn't think they could get any "better" than they already were. "Fields of Home" is better though, although perhaps I feel that way because it struck a chord with me in where I live, in the cold northernmost part of New York State. The descriptions of the farming and other activities resonated with stories of my grandparents, my parents and my childhood experiences. The characters seem to be people I know. Awesome book in a great series of books that are appropriate for all ages (my parents love them too).

this book strays from the inhuman, demonic from hell type of thinking. it goes into quantom physics, and the rip in time, big bang way of thinking.the only thing imight question is his photos of ghosts. ir lights give off a host of lightrefraction, dust e.t.c. all in all a good read. not for your pop ghost hunter. i book that gives one pause to think.

I enjoyed most of the book and the author had some good ideas and interesting tales on the paranormal and combating negative energy. However, I could have done without the anti-liberal tirade near the end.

The writer could have gotten his point across without this sort of commentary, especially when "liberals" are more inclined to be open-minded about subjects like the paranormal and not treat the believer as is he/she is a crackpot. This was the first book I have read by Mr. Eno, but I will never read another because of these comments. If you want to sell a book or want the reader to read more, don't insult them.

This book was better than faces in the window, although it was good too, This is a book I will keep in my library.

While the stories in "Footsteps in the Attic" weren't anything shocking or amazing in most cases, I found them more believable because of it. Eno's simple, no-nonsense style presented the facts of each investigation in logically order.

I was struck by the way Eno would attempt to explain any paranormal activity in non-paranormal terms. This approach gave quiet credence to everything from his personal written accounts to the photographs in the book.

Furthermore, I enjoyed Eno's scientific approach to explaining the existence of ghosts. I found it very plausible, and supported much more strongly than previous explanations I had heard. Eno laid evidence as he saw it on the table repeatedly throughout the book, but always in what I felt were appropriate moments.

If you enjoy ghost stories, paranormal events, or even speculating on the afterlife this is the book for you.

I ripped through this book in a couple of sittings, and literally could not put it down. Paul Eno offers up some fascinating and, what I would call, groundbreaking theories about what exactly ghosts are, and where a lot of those strange little occurrences we have come from. His quantum mechanics approach may set any preconceived notion you have about why we see ghosts on its ear. Be prepared to consider a completely new perspective. The theories are not "dumbed-down" for those of us who have not made a study of quantum physics. They are explained in clear, thoughtful, and concise terms that any lay-person can understand.

The theories he poses go a long way in explaining the extreme and persistent déjà vu I have experienced all my life. The chapter on parasites gave me much insight into what that shadowy little wisp I had in my benign little middle-class house was, why it gained strength over the course of almost two years, and then turned not-so-nice after all. A trusted psychic told me at the time that the thing I had was not human, and that I had picked it up through Tarot cards, both of which Mr. Eno verifies with his explanations.

This is paranormal investigation at its finest. Paul Eno has set himself apart as a top-notch investigator of the paranormal. He and his team investigate, with methodical precision, each of these ghosts, poltergeists/parasites, and "tortured souls" with intellect and compassion. After reading this book, I will NEVER touch a Ouija Board again. Much information is here for the taking - highly recommended for anyone seeking an alternative explanation which is not afraid to deviate from the norm.

I live on Mt. Desert Island so I guess I'm not captivated by Mr. Sterba's anthropological examination of his brief stays each year on MDI. I read the book while traveling to capture that 'sense of place' I was missing while away from MDI. That's about the only thing I find captivating about the book.

There is no apparent organization to the rambling narrative which touches on wealthy but non-ostentatious 'summer people' and the 'quaint ways' of the locals. Random observations, lots of words in 'quotes'...kind of irritating. A few factual errors about directions and where things are located (surprising for a reporter) won't bother the average reader.

I found the book disorganized and saccharin, but I'm happy that Mr. Sterba is happy.

There are not enough words to say how much I enjoyed this book. For anyone that loves Maine, seafood, politics, humor and history, this is a book you will devour. Having spent time vacationing in Maine while growing up, Jim Sterba's descriptions brought some of my favorite childhood memories back to me. As an avid reader of the New Yorker, I will now always, with a smile, think of the New Yorker as Toi Lit.

This is the best kind of travel memoir -- it has recipes, witty anecdotes and characters, natural and social histories, and enchanting descriptions of the land, sea, and sky. Oh yes, and lessons in battling house mice, an overabundance of tomatoes, and the encroachment of crass non-natives. But mostly, it has a narrator whose personal contributions to all of the above make it an even richer experience. Sterba has a journalist's innate curiosity about everything, a journalist's objective stance, and a journalist's heart -- he knows, in other words, wehere the stories lie and he knows how to spin them. He makes you want to know the people as well as the place. Frankie's Place reminds me of Peter Mayle's Provence stories, only less contrived.

Jim Sterba's Frankie's Place is an engaging autobiographical sketch with at least a little something for almost everyone: from an Horatio Alger story and the revival of a fractured family, to the history of seacoast Maine (Mount Desert), to favorite recipes, to a too brief recounting of his quite brilliant career as a NYTimes and WSJ reporter. What resonates most is his infectious delight when he at long last relinquishes the vagabond life for matrimony and a home of one's own -- albeit shared with various in-laws and sundry rodents. It's a love story for the final nesting of a man who came in from the cold.

I couldn't help but wish that Frankie, the historian Francis FitzGerald, could have become more than an elusive presence, but I could understand his need to respect her privacy. (That is the way of the Wasps.)

Woven through Sterba's account of summers in Maine are bits of travelogue, Maine history, his experiences as a foreign journalist, recipes and his relationship with Frankie. The reader succumbs to that rapport with author and a well-loved place the same way as with Under the Tuscan Sun.
The character of New Englanders and of those drawn to its scenic shores is faithfully rendered in this book. I envy him his time in that scenic area that he brings alive for us. My mouth waters as I read of the culinary treats and I begin to feel I know the paths through the woods and the friends and locals who inhabit his pages.
Immerse yourself in this book if you are traveling to Maine anytime soon or use it as a substitute if you can't go.

I had read quotations previously from this book and it was fun to read the whole book, and also to be taken back in time to a previous century. Very interesting and most enjoyable!

Celia Thaxter tried poetry and fiction, but it is hardly a surprise that this book carries her mark on literature today. A woman possessed by the beauty of flowers, she planned and nurtured her garden year after year on a windswept island off the Atlantic coast of Maine and New Hampshire. Her friends and visitors included a small group of distinguished artists and authors. To those not terribly interested in flower literature, An Island Garden will impress anyway by the sheer passion and stamina of the author.

This book is well-written and has beautiful color illustrations by Childe Hassam. It will appeal to gardeners especially, and also bird-lovers and those who are smitten with the coast of Maine. It comes in a slipcase, with an attractive gold-embossed cover and an introduction by Tasha Tudor.

In the closing years of the Nineteenth Century, Celia Thaxter (1835-94) lived on Appledore, one of the Isles of Shoal off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Contemplating the lovely garden that she had created there, she decided to write down her thoughts and share them with us. Taking the form of a yearlong calendar, she walks us through her experiences in her garden, as she tends it and protects it throughout the year.

This is an absolutely wonderful book! Celia obviously loved her garden and all of the green growing things around her. This love shines through the narrative, such as when she wrote, "He who is born with a silver spoon in his mouth is generally considered a fortunate person, but his good fortune is small compared to that of the happy mortal who enters this world with a passion for flowers in his soul."

As I said before, this book covers a year in the life of Celia's garden, but is not written as a simple chronology. Instead, the book covers Celia's work and her thoughts, moving from advice to poetry with a wonderful casualness. The boxed edition of this book is handsomely decorated, with Childe Hassam's illustrations setting just the perfect tone for it. This book makes a wonderful gift for the gardener in your life, and I can't recommend it enough!

Sorry folks, Tasha Tudor didn't write the introduction to this fine book. Allen Lacey wrote it. That doesn't detract from the book, but it does correct the listing above.

The illustrations are photoengravings of the original stone lithographs. Stone lithographs (chromolithographs) can take up to 30 stones to reproduce the color of the original. Chromolithographs, like wood engravings, are an original art form in and of themselves. They are, naturally, the size of the book itself, and not meant to substitute for the original paintings.

This is an exquisite little book, issued in a slip case, and makes a nice gift for those interested in the asesthetics of gardening.