Maine Books

I read a copy of this book from a library a while back and then was happy to find a new edition had come out. The Benoits are the best true deer hunters on the planet and Bryce Towsley is, far and away, one of the best writers in the business. I hunt in Wisconsin and Michigan and find this info very helpful.

If you're a deer hunter, buy this book!

This is a great book . I have all the Benoit books and dvds. I think this is the best of the Benoit books. There is so much info in these books it's not right out front , it's between the lines but be assured its there. Tracking is regional but the Whitetail info is not. I have learned more about mature Whitetails from the Benoit books and dvds than any other source. Larry's the man no doubt but Lanny Benoit may be the best pure deer hunter alive. Theres a little horn tooting in the book but as someone once said " If you can do it it ain't braggin ". I have Hal Bloods book too it is also very very good. If you buy just one book on tracking buy this one or Hals.

The book does a good job outlining the tracking methods that the Benoits use to consistently harvest large bucks. There are also several interesting stories of deer hunting adventures within the book.

These tracking methods are regional in nature and not very useful in the midwest where I primarily hunt. For anyone who hunts from a stand, this book will be a dissapointment.

I read the book from my local library rather than purchasing it and I am glad that I did.

Overall, it is a good read but not worth the money unless you hunt in the northeast like the Benoits.

This is one of the best and most unique whitetail hunting books I've read. The classic and now out-of-print "How to Bag the Biggest Buck of Your Life," did a great job of describing the Benoit tracking method. This newest book is even better.

"Big Bucks the Benoit Way" is an excellent presentation of how the Benoits hunt. The Benoits are almost exclusively trackers, and they base their techniques on what their vast experience has proven to work best: not on the theories of others. This independent thinking makes this a very refreshing book, and their dozens of 200-pound plus bucks prove that they know what they are doing.

This book is loaded with great photos of big bucks and the Benoits in their trademark green and black wool jackets. There's plenty of shots of sagging meat poles, the deep woods on snowy days, and the tracks and rubs of big bucks.

Most valuable though, is the great information on how the Benoits find, identify, and then follow the track of a heavy buck until they successfully bag him. While few of us will ever be so spectacularly successful using these methods, all of us can learn from this book. I've successfully used these same Benoit methods to track down and bag trophy bucks from Montana to Wisconsin.

Hunters who enjoy this book share a kinship in understanding the magic of the deep woods and a fresh tracking snow and the smoking hot track of a big buck. If you are that type of hunter, you will like this book.

Bruce L. Nelson, author of "Hunting Big Whitetails."

If you track or stalk deer then you can learn a lot from this book. The Benoit's are quite remarkable with their year over year successes. However, if you are a stand hunter or hunt in private land areas that don't allow tresspassers then this book is basically worthless other than the nice pictures in it.

My two sisters and I throughly enjoyed this book. It is an easy read that kept our interest all the way through. Great love story.

"Hawke's Cove" is a treat to the senses and to the heart. Susan Wilson's lovely descriptions of the New England coastline are remarkable, but more remarkable still are the characters she's developed. Each chapter focuses on the point of view of a character. Everyone has seen the same events, but processes it differently. By exploring the events in this way, we get a full picture of the entire story.

This is a beautiful love story, an amazing look at New England coastal life, and a history lesson all rolled into one. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

This story describes the emotions of World War II from the vantage point on those who are waiting for their loved ones and from the point of view of the soldiers. I found it entertaining, emotional, and educational. The story line reminds me of Bridges Over Madison County, but with a happy ending.

This book is absolutely wonderful,it is so well written and so real to life that it stays with you for a very long time after finishing the book. I would read this book again and probably again.I think Susan Wilson is a 5 star author and I would read anything she writes. This book keeps you immersed and totally engrossed to where you can hardly put it down.

I finished this book a couple days ago, and I can't get over how the characters have stayed with me. This is such a well written book, that you almost feel as though it really happened.
This is the first book I have read by Susan Wilson, and now I plan to hunt down all her books and read every one.
Highly recommended!

This book is awesome. We love Maine and this book has helped us explore it. I tell everyone I know to buy this book if they are going to Maine, whether it's their first or 30th time there.

This is the guidebook we include in each of our B&B rooms.
Guests frequently take it with them on their day trips and
I have found it to be full of very comprehensive information
on what the State of Maine has to offer.

My husband and I re-located to Maine in 1995. We have used this book extensively to plan day and weekend trips around the state. There are so many wonderful places to explore and this book always gives us some good tips and starting points. We currently have the 10th edition.

"Maine: An Explorer's Guide" was my first purchase in the series. Since then, I have used "Vermont..." and "Maryland...". While perhaps not ideal for novices in a region, they are excellent for one who has some familiarity with the state one is visiting. The descriptions of history, geography, cultural and recreational offerings; and the listings of inviting, independent restaurants, shops and accommodations have always been accurate, informative and insightful. If you are likely to visit more than once, or stay longer than a few days, this is the book for you. As a piece of advice, buy a good map to go with it.

This was just a so so book on Maine. It has some good stuff and some not so good stuff. I bought it because it was the only one in the store with an extensive section on the little town of Kittery which is near the border with New Hampshire. It was a good section and I got a lot of information and use out of it. However, when I started reading the rest of the book I kind of got a little lost. The sections on "where to eat" and "selective shopping" were confusing because they were organized differently. They've put phone numbers for places without an area code and directions like "North along Route 1" which doesn't make any sense to me not knowing where anything in Maine is. I suppose it would be a really good book for someone with some knowledge about Maine or someone who actually lives there and wants to get away for the weekend or something. On the plus side the maps were really good and the photos were nice (black and white, but nice). My copy had five pages in a row that were upside down. Not sure what that's all about. I wasn't able to make it to Maine on a trip I made to the area, but I plan to go one of these days and I will take this book with me when I do because it still has a lot of good information.

This is the second book I've read by Michael Prescott and by sheer chance it is the second book I've read that featured FBI agent Tess McCallum. This is a good murder-mystery thriller that talks about but does not dwell on the emotional baggage of the main characters to the point of boring. This story keeps moving and is easy to read at a good pace. Being the master sleuth that I am, I of course figured out the true identity of Mobius early in the book. (Mobius was the bad guy) At 372 pages in paperback this novel did not drag at all. There were good characterizations and people you could actually care about. The clues were there and the action intense. I am about to order another book by Prescott. I see there is another Tess McCallum book out there that needs to be read. Oh by the way, I guessed early on who the killer was...WRONG!!! It was a total surprize at the end. Good book. Read it, but if you're looking for romance, find something different. This is more action.

This was my first Michael Prescott novel and I found it surprisingly enjoyable. The plot was creative, I learned a few things and the suspense kept me raptly reading late into the night. Like most books of this genre, things get a little silly toward the end of the book, and the protagonist is, of course, only a little less accomplished than God, and everything happens within a two-day time span and the universe is saved within a second or two of oblivion, etc. But, knowing in advance that's how most of these books unfold, the reader can just sit back and enjoy the show. I'd say Prescott is a cut above most thriller writers, so I intend now to order the rest of his books through Amazon and enjoy them.

Sometimes, in the course of reading the work of a talented author who thinks up good concepts, knows the mechanics of good storytelling, writes interesting dialogue, and creates compelling characters, one has to wonder how much creative control they actually have and how much better they could've made their book if left to their own expert devices instead of being comprised by editorial micro-managing. I got an inkling of how Alex Kava's light was obscured by the editorial bushel while reading SPLIT SECOND and I couldn't help but speculate on the same thing while reading Michael Prescott's latest thriller (he'd wanted to name it WIPEOUT but the publisher choose the breathtakingly bland NEXT VICTIM).

A woman on the run from the FBI is carrying a canister of VX nerve agent and is intercepted by a serial killer, who then absconds with it and plans to use it on an unsuspecting Los Angeles. This is the best concept in recent fiction since Jan Burke's BONES (2001).

Not all the book's flaws can be blamed on editing, however- as one reviewer rightly posits, Mobius suffers from the talking villain syndrome, whereas the pieces could've come together in a more organic way, through skillful exposition or having Special Agent Tess McCallum, the book's heroine, tell the reader in her POV. Also, in the ATSAC HQ, Tess is actually relieved when it turns out that Mobius has VX in his possession, instead of the ebola that Tess had feared. I don't know of a single human who would ever be relieved to be dealing with VX, surely the deadliest substance ever engineered by Man.

But NEXT VICTIM'S virtues far outweigh its flaws and the characterization of the principals is good enough to garner sympathy for both antagonist and protagonist. and, while it's obligatory for the heroine to engage the villain in the Endgame in which the heroine (of course) wins, Prescott thankfully was able to break away from his usual DIE HARD-esque ending that involves a tall, abandoned/unfinished building to give the reader a more novel denouement.

As usual, I'll be on the lookout for the talented Prescott's next outing, hoping for both a hardcover deal for him and less editorial interference.

I just want to say I love all of Michael Prescott's books. I read his first one, "Come's The Dark", and I had to go out and get all of the others. Once I start one, I can't put it down. This book really has a great twist at the end, I loved it!! I really look forward to his next one, and hope he has another one on the way!!

Great story line and interesting plot. Prescott hit a grand slam on this one. This book was such an intense thriller, I read it in two days.

Schlossberg, I think, hits a few nails on the head. She poses what should be several thought-provoking questions for anyone comptemplating retirement. Her description of the several basic "types" of retirees is, by observation, so accurate it's almost amusing. But, her message is honest, but encouraging. Her examples of several folks who "failed" at retirement, then changed to compensate for their shortcomings and to reevaluate and build on their strengths offer excellent insights of what some of us will have to deal with in moving on. A quick, but enlightening read.

This is a very helpful little book. Gave my husband and I a lot of information we will be needing. Good advise. I would recommend this book to anyone thinking of retiring and who knows nothing about it.

Since I just retired after 33 years at one company, I wanted to read about help in what I should do in my retirement. This book gave me some good insight. I recommend it.

This book did not meet my needs...was not an interesting or informative read for me.

This is a great book and easy to read. Instead of psychology and theory, she gives a lot of examples. This not only makes it easier to read but illustrates that everyone will experience a different type of retirement.

Robert Altman in his introduction to this volume speaks about the element of chance in Carver's work, and how lives are drastically changed in the Carver world by some small incident which can set everything going in a new direction, often a disastrous one.
I feel very uncomfortable with the Carver world though I see what he is doing and recognize his power as a dramatic story- writer who keeps the reader reading to know what is going to happen next. Carver's characters are often people scrambling to make a living. They are often couples in some kind of disarray. The Carver world is a harsh one and yet it has surprising moments of grace and human kindness.
Above all I feel in it some element of destruction, often violent, but often too coming from the self- destructiveness of the characters.
Carver's language is sharp , colloquial and his people seem 'real'.
I recognize his great ability as a writer but somehow I do not feel close to his world or his characters. It is too incidental, transient and difficult for me.
But probably no other writer portrays a certain kind of American world in the way he does. And he gives a feeling of its being a very real world indeed.

Carver portrays the banal, mundane, and unknown of life in his exquisite collection of short stories. It is the spouse who after twenty-five years of the same monotonous routine, breaks out and acts in ways that are inconsistent. Showing the psychological buildup of internal angst and tension is what Carver has mastered. He has a way exposing the hidden desire and passion that stem from the dark corners of the psyche. According to Joseph Campbell, many people are uncomfortable reading these types of stories.

The emotional charge that comes from Carver's careful observation takes his writing to the level of masterpiece literature. The narrative observatory techniques in the third person are detached and objective. A few of Carver's stories are written in first person, which give him an opportunity to get inside his protagonist, but even here, Carver chooses to stay at a distance, allowing the reader to dally in ambiguity.

Short stories? Movie adaptation? Sounds like a terrible premise for a movie. And it sounds like an even worse premise for a book. However, I believe this to be a very good introduction to Carver's work. If you haven't read Carver, yet, I will tell you this: he is a master of characterization. He is a master of the things that matter when writing about ordinary and real human beings; he is a master of the d-e-t-a-i-l-s. The important ones, not the extraneous. While Carver's stories are full of details, he is also a minimalist. Writers like him give minimalism power and meaning. And like his prose, this collection of his works is short and concise.

Carver's work gives us a very interesting picture of contemporary American life -- full desire, hopelessness, disappointment, drug use, and the constant presence of violent undertones. What could be more American? Raymond Carver has the ability to turn the ordinary, the seemingly mundane, into something raw, interesting, and valuable.

In my opinion, Raymond Carver is among the top five short story writers of the twentieth century. His stories are bold, contemporary, and never boring. This compilation - used to make the Altman film - is a superb sampling of his work. Some of his best stories are here, such as "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?," "So Much Water So Close to Home," and the heartbreaking, "A Small, Good Thing." "Tell the Women We're Going" is one of the most shocking short stories I've read recently. In his introduction, Robert Altman writes, "what he really did was capture the wonderful idiosyncrasies of human behavior, the idiosyncrasies that exist amid the randomness of life's experiences." This is a good introduction to his work.

I was truly on the edge of my seat during these stories. They are beautifully written. I plan on re-reading these stories for years to come.

This book was just ridiculously funny! This was the first book I'd read by the author and she immediately had me hooked! Tory and her friends are a riot but that Tory, (desperate, shameless thang)was a gas! LOL. The message was clear: that much desperation ain't pretty on nobody! But it was fun taking the ride with Tory. I'm glad she finally got the message and wised up. Moon was cool and refreshing and the kind of man she needed. I would've kicked Miss Thang's behind-talking about the coon schools. This was just a completely funny, relaxing read that would be perfect on the beach. You'll laugh out loud.

I gave this 4 stars because some of Tory's escapades I found just a little bit too desperate and far fetched. Nonetheless, a very significant moral is put across - Don't compromise yourself to get a man. I read this book in one day. With no sinister twists or plots I found it an very entertaining light read.

i really liked this book, victoria's character was naive and a bit shakey, but i have to admit i found bits and pieces of myself in her. and people i know fit into the characters of her best friends. and males i know reminded me of guys i have encountered.

I read this book several months ago, and it held my interest until the very end. It had that love story, happily ever after feel to it, but the hell she went through to get to 'Mr Right' was somewhat realistic. The part where Daniel asks, 'Are you Ready?' was hilarious, and that alone was enough for me to keep reading to see what would happen. This book was pretty good.

Rarely do I ever review a book that I've read, but I had to review this one and give it 5 stars. It was an excellent read. It was funny and I could not put it down. Poor Torey needed to be loved so badly but the brother had to be fine or she was'nt having it! I know people just like her, that is why I could relate. Mr. Moon McAllister was so real that I fell in love with him myself. Anyway you will enjoy this book I'm sure. You will not be disappointed. I hope there is a sequel!

I used this book for a virtual tour using a mapping program. Hopefully, I will someday have the time to do the trail or at least some of it. I will definitely get this book each year.

I've used the Thru-hiker's guide in planning hikes of 35 to 250 miles on the Appalachian trail and have it extremely valuable.

This guide, which is updated yearly, is a wonderful resource for planning long-distance hikes on the Appalachian Trail and for consultation along the way. It provides specific information about resources available on and near the trail, including shelters, water sources, campsites, stores for food and other supplies, post-offices, restaurants, hostels and transportation. It also contains accurate mileage information (to the 1/10 mile) for distances on the trail and basic directions and mileage information for off-trail resources.

While the authors provide some information about each region through which the trail travels and does list some of the side trails and the many interesting destinations to which they lead -the clear focus of the guide is on the pragmatics of getting around on and near the trail. Because many people who hike the entire trail or large sections of it will carry the book (or one piece of the book at a time) with them, the information is presented in a highly condensed format. In this sense, the book is a highly specific tool - well designed for a very specific purpose. Those looking for a guide to gear for thru-hiking will need to look elsewhere, as will those who are looking for a good deal of colorful information about the areas they travel in, reviews about the strengths and weaknesses of the various hostels and restaurants along the way. Most long distance hikers would not want to carry a book with that kind of detail.

Many people who have thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail have also used the "Thru-hikers planning guide" workbook, which can be used as a companion to this guide.

This review is for the Southbound book. I encourage Southbounders to use Wingfoot if for no other reason than the ATC book patronizingly entreats "would be southbounders" to beware of blackflies, etc. as if they are trying to discourage a southbound hike. But Wingfoot has a lot of great information, sometimes too much information, and the book is large and heavy as a result. I could have torn off the pages as I went, but I wanted an intact record of my hike. If Wingfoot would edit this book down to a more compact size, and include some decent maps, his book would be, without a doubt, the best out there.

I have used Dan's guide books for a few years and find each new
edition to be better than the rest. I used the information to do
a 300 mile section hike in May and June of this year. It was
extremely helpful in planning my town stops and resupply points.
The inclusion of historic information as well as plant and fauna
descriptions elevate it above just facts and figures.
In the back of the guide is a section to submit updates on
anything the reader finds has changed since the guide was

published. This gives everyone the chance to participate in
keeping the guide up to date.
I am extremely happy with "The Thru-Hikers Guide" and will
choose it for all my future Appalachian Trail hiking needs in
the future.

After ten years of section hiking the AT, I have completely given up on Wingfoot's (so called) Trail Guide. In a word, it is hopelessly out of date and not worth the investment. I hiked several miles in the wrong direction on my last hike in Vermont because Wingfoot mis-directed hikers to a shelter that had been moved three years prior. Wingfoot is resistant to change and needs to thru-hike the AT again to bring his guide up to date.
I highly recommend the "Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker's Companion."

Big E

When looking for something fresh and new for my wedding flowers, I sifted through dozens of books that showed the same old arrangements and nothing new or creative. I own another of Stark and Adler's books, and was pleased to see they had written a wedding flower book. I was over the moon after ordering the book. The designs are simply beautiful! The flower choices are artistic, simple and help a bride to choose the right flowers for the growing season in which her wedding takes place. I carried this book to my florist and we recreated several of the arrangements for my bridal bouquets and table arrangements. Everyone was impressed with the floral arrangements and the vibrant color choices. This is the one book you need, if you are looking for a fresh, vibrant and artistic look for your wedding.

I bought this book for my sister who is getting married soon. She loved the book! It has given her great ideas and pictures for her to express to her florist what she wants. Most of the bouquets are unique and the wrappings around the flowers are a wide variety and have great ideas. I would recommend the book.

Es una estupenda referencia sobre las ideas que buscan las personas cuando de solicitar ramos para boda se refieren... incluso algunas quinceañeras lo han tomando como referencia para escoger el ramo que llevarán a la iglesia.

this book is as good as anything i have seen on this subject[and probably better than most]

I'm marrying in November and went to the library to look up books on wedding flowers; this one came out to be my favorite so far. Although some of the advice is a little too frou-frou for my tastes (if you want Spring flowers in December, then have at it!), the bouquets and flowers are gorgeous. I actually read the captions for the photos more than anything else.

The book is quite inspiring with several flower types that you never thought to use, plus interesting wrapping of the stems.

My biggest cheer is for the size and quality of the photos. You can search online all you like for beautiful bouquets, and most of the time you get pixelated crap with colors that don't match the flowers at all.

In the 5th installment in the Lucy Stone Mystery series, love is certainly not in the air on the library board in Tinker's Cove, Maine. Lucy has become the newest board member, and is looking forward to the opening of the new addition to the beloved town library. But at Lucy's first board meeting, she stumbles upon the dead body of the controversial librarian, and discovers that the board has a lot of secrets that it has been keeping. When another board member is found dead, Lucy starts to fear for her own safety, and the safety of her family.

As in previous books in the series, the Valentine Murder deals with another complex issue. This time the topic is gambling. Lucy is writing a feature story for the Pennysaver regarding this subject, and while doing research, she discovers that a large percentage of the town is purchasing lottery tickets as a way to win big. The economy has been tough for the residents of Tinker's Cove, and Lucy is shocked to discover that she was not aware of the gambling problems of many in her small town. Instead of bread and milk being the hottest sellers at the local convenience store, Lucy discovers instead that lottery tickets are the item of choice. And when one of the library board members is found to have a gambling addiction, Lucy is determined to find assistance for her town.

I have really enjoyed all of the books in the Lucy Stone series. Reading them in order, I have watched Lucy's children grow, and have also glimpsed a change in the relationship between herself and her husband, Bill. In previous books, Bill has been portrayed as a grouchy, demanding husband. However, in this book, he has been portrayed as much kinder and loving...a welcome change to the series. I look forward to reading more Lucy Stone mysteries for years to come!

The first book in the series is called "Mistletoe Murder". Enjoy!

A murder in the library? Lucy begins her service as a library board member by finding a body in the basement. Lucy finds herself investigating another murder because she has more than one mystery to solve. Something is not quite right in the library. I suspected many people of the murder until the real killer was revealed. This was an interesting quick read that will hold your interest. I look forward to more books by this author.

The mystery of this book takes place in a library. (One of my favorite places!) The librarian is murdered. Lucy Stone is determined to find out who did it and why.

Lucy and I have so much in common: 4 kids (3 girls and a boy); a rugged husband; We both love our kids so much and spend lots of quality time with them; We both love mystery novels; We both love historical houses; We both have generous hearts when giving to food banks or people in need.

This book takes place in the really cold winter. These wonderful Lucy Stone books are as close to Maine as I will ever get. Maine is cold anyway, but this particular year had an even colder and more severe snow storm. Thinking about the cold weather made me shiver! But, as bad as the weather was, it was actually good, because a snow drift is what saves a life! (I won't say who or why - I don't want to ruin it!)

I love both the cozy atmosphere and the mystery/plot. This is a wonderful, awesome book.

In this fifth Lucy Stone mystery, small-town Maine mother of four and part-time newspaper reporter Lucy Stone has volunteered to be the newest member on the Tinker Cover Library board. Lucy begins to wonder what she's gotten herself into, though, when the town's librarian is found shot in the library's basement during the first library board meeting that Lucy attends. Lucy can't seem to keep her nose out of investigating the murder, though, and rapidly becomes engrossed in interviewing the other library board members, as they seemto be the most likely suspects. As Lucy investigates more deeply, she finds that most of the library board members are not quite what they seem. And when Lucy's family starts experiencing a string of mysterious "accidents", Lucy knows that she must be closing in on the murderer's identity.

The mystery was a good one, but I only gave this book four stars because Lucy continued to do a few things that really disturbed me throughout the book. One, she leaves her four-year old daughter Zoe strapped in her car seat in near-zero temperatures when she "dashes" into the library. Secondly, Lucy suggests sledding down the twisty road leading to their house to her children, a very dangerous activity that nearly gets two of the children hit by a truck. I've really enjoyed the stories in this series, but I'd like the heroine to use a little common sense, please.

I really enjoyed this book and all her others. Librarians generally don't gossip about their patrons though. Well the ones I know don't. I like how Lucy throws in some family time and time to clean and do other chores along with solving mysteries. Leslie Meier writes good.