Vermont Books

The book was perfect for browsing before my vacation. It came quickly and was in good condtion.

This is a great book! It's an encyclopedia just like it says and it's a good one! I love opening it up and just flipping the pages to find something that intrigues me. If you love the history of Vermont than you'll love this book!

I read this book little by little. I wanted to savor every story that this author shared. I have been to Vermont and it has many wonderful memories for me too. This beautiful state has so much to offer. My favorite part of the book was the section of family remembrances of early years. I recommend this book to all nature lovers, family oriented people, and those who love New England especially the Green Mountains of Vermont and Lake Champain.

Vermont Life Stories....is a delightful offering of memories of years past and ongoing happenings of the present in Vermont. Margaret spent the summer vacations of her youth, along with her family, in various camps on Long Point, North Ferrisburg, Vermont. Her dad was a Presbyterian minister and took his family of six to Vermont most summers. Many experiences of being out on Lake Camplain, trout fishing in the beautiful, rushing mountain streams, picnics, hiking, mountain climbing - Camel's Hump is a favorite, as well as card games, reading and get togethers with friends made over the years. Margaret takes you all over the New England area, reminiscing and revisiting favorite spots with her three sisters, sometimes all together when they have their Berger Girls reunion every two years, and sometimes with only one sister at a time over the years!
Then Margaret and her husband, Whitney Doane Morse, were privileged to buy their own camp and enjoy continued pleasure in Vermont with its beautiful fall foliage and snow covered mountains. Whitney keeps the camp and lot beautitul and in good repair. Margaret does gardening, putting local flora in a rock garden setting, remembering her Dad's rock gardens. There are outings in her Boston Whaler purchased with funds left toher by her mother. When her sisters visit, they are usually out on the lake revisiting Kingsland Park, The Dean's Islands also known as The Three Sisters and the Little Otter River to name a few.
And so the stories continue to come. The book truly is delightful, spiritual, uplifting - filled with love of God and family and God's awesome creation - our world, especially Vermont. Margaret has shared her thought and feeling and her generous nature with all of us. READ THIS BOOK! You will be enriched!

nd lot beautiful and in good repair. Margaret does gardening, putting local flora in a rock garden setting remembering her Dad's rock gardens. There are outings in her Boston Whaler purchased with funds left to her by her mother.
And so the stories continue to come. The book truly is delightful, spiritual, uplifting, - filled with love of God and family and God's wonderful creation - our world, especially Vermont. Margaret has shared her thoughts and feelings and her generous nature with all of us. READ THIS BOOK! You will be enriched!

Government at a distance does not work. It is easy to ignore the personal responsibility of governance when it is not local. First we allowed the State to take over the rule making and curriculums of our schools and now the Federal authorities are making global rulings on school operations. Those who wish to control find it easier to make rules once at the Federal level and force all to submit to their vision. Return the control to the local levels.

Having just seen the review posted by Independent Publisher (1998) - right on the money! Ten years after publication, The Vermont Papers is still the only blueprint for dismantling overgrown liberty-destroying political superstructures and restoring true LOCAl democracy with widespread civic involvement. And we also thought it was pretty entertaining, too. (from co-author John McClaughry, now 32 years a Town Moderator)

This book is great fun. Written by "Real" Vermonters Frank and Melissa Bryan (Linda Bryan took all the pictures for the book, she did not write it), it's a great way to test your trivia knowledge or your friends. Whether you live in the Green Mountain state or just like to put your knowledge of it to the test, this is a great book for everyone.

The (Very Latest) Vermont Quiz Book by Shelburne Vermonter Linda Bryan is an amazing trivia guide and self-test on everything about Vermont from its natural wonders, to its roads, towns, and famous people. Featuring 928 multiple-choice questions and answers, The (Very Latest) Vermont Quiz Book is an engaging and fun read, whether to self-test one's knowledge or as a an extra supply of questions for popular trivia games.

While the book takes place in rural Vermont, it gives one an insight to small town America in the mid 20th century. It's interesting to see American technology and life evolve through the years.

This is a very interesting look at small town life in the 20th century. While the focus of the book is on life in Vermont, the larger story is an account of how life in the United States has evolved during the 20th century. One wonders what life was like before cell phones and laptops, this book provides insight into that, and gives the reader a path to where we are now as a culture.

This is a great well written book. The author does a great job of writing. It's a very enjoyable book!

I LOVE this book! It is soooo funny! I wonder if they are All true stories????

Kristin Hardy's Holiday Hearts series touched me in a very special way. This trilogy is based around the Trask brothers of Vermont. Their father passed away suddenly and the family faces the painful year of firsts. The Trask maple sugar farm has been in the family for five generations. A tremendous legacy and the anchor that pulls the family together.

Where There's Smoke by Kristin Hardy
Silhouette Special Edition # 1720 - November 2005

Nick is a Captain in a Boston firehouse. Sloan has invented a device that will help prevent firefighters from getting lost or dead ended in burning buildings. Nick's none to pleased when he's ordered to help Sloan in the final testing of her equipment. Nothing is going to stand in Sloan's way to getting this equipment approved and onto every firefighters gear. Lives are at stake, and Sloan can't bear the thought of losing another firefighter because they can't see the way out. This is personal.

Nick and Sloan are very well developed characters. Both are struggling with personal issues that make this a very well rounded story. Ms. Hardy has a talent of creating believable characters that make you care about what happens to them. It was a pleasure reading about Nick and Sloan.

Under the Mistletoe by Kristin Hardy
Silhouette Special Edition # 1725 - December 2005

Gabe has been a part of the Hotel Mt. Jefferson since his teens, working himself up to Manager. It's a grand old world hotel in need of lots of attention. Hadley's father has just inherited the hotel. She's been given the mission of bringing the Hotel's bottom line on par with her father's other corporations; no matter what cuts she has to make in order to do that. Gabe has to appeal to Hadley's romantic side before the Hotel loses all it's charm.

Hadley's struggle to do what she knows in her heart to be the right thing, is heart warming. She's faced with disobeying and disappointing her very demanding father or with stripping an historic landmark to bare bones. Gabe is the perfect hero to show her what true loyalty is.

Vermont Valentine by Kristin Hardy
Silhouette Special Edition # 1739 - February 2006

Jacob's the oldest son. He's the rock that continues to anchor the generations to the family farm. The maple trees are everything to him. Celie has a tough job with the US Forest Service. Time is running out and she has to identify and destroy all the trees that have been infested with a very aggressive beetle that threatens entire sugar maple forests. When she finds some infested trees on Jacob's farm, she has to make some heartbreaking decisions on how many trees must be destroyed.

This is an emotional story for both Celie and Jacob. Jacob has such a strong sense of responsibility, a love for the land, and a fear of letting down his family. Celie has an instinct when it comes to Jacob. She completes him.

Mr. Hardy has written three wonderful stories here. All about coming to terms with our losses and appreciating family and home. Growing up on a farm, I can relate to the Trask brothers. I understand the feelings of Nick, not wanting to be tied to the land that tied his father. I understand Jacob and the pride he feels in past family accomplishment and the passing on to future generations. When I read this trilogy I had just past the first anniversary of my own father's death, and the feelings shared among the Trask family over their approaching anniversary were very close to those I was experiencing.

Ms. Hardy is a very talented story teller. She has created wonderful characters that reach out and let you be a part of their lives. I appreciate the time Ms. Hardy has taken to research for her stories and the efforts to get things right. Her talent was rewarded with a Rita nomination, one I feel was very well deserved.

Vermont Valentine by Kristin Hardy is a delightful romance for readers especially on the most romantic day of the year Valentine's Day.

Jacob Trask is a solitary man, he was his generations ambassador of the man who lives alone on the family farm. His brothers have gone off and found lives in the city leaving Jacob to run the families Maple Farm alone. Though their mother lives near Jacob lives in a house farm from the family homestead. He really hasn't missed companionship much until feisty Celie Favreau invades his quiet world and turns it on its ear.

Celie Favreau career in forestry has had her traveling all over the country. She loves her job but it pains her that she has to cut down trees to safe other healthy trees. Celie is in Vermont to hopefully head off a major bug infestation that could damage livelihoods for years. Celie wasn't planning on quiet and rugged Jacob Trask stirring her soul.

Jacob and Celie race to safe as many trees as possible. Celie takes an unorthodox chance with an unapproved chemical to safe Jacob's farms. She is also taking a major chance with her heart.

Jacob and Celie relationship is heartfelt, deeply moving as well as sensual. Their ups and downs will melt your heart and praying that they find their way to an everlasting love.

Kristin Hardy brings her Holiday Hearts trilogy to an emotional and genuinely satisfying conclusion.

I used this book when travelling around Vermont last summer. Tons of information on sights to see, outdoor activities, lodging and restaurant. The maps were also very helpful in navigating through the state. I liked the fact that it broke the state up into six main areas so it was easy to find information when I needed it. My only complaint is that they didn't rate things on a star basis so I used this book in conjunction with the Frommer's guide. I recommend getting both because the Frommer's was a bit skimpy on information about things to do and see.

I just bought this book this week, and it is so packed full of great information. Restaurants, the history of the town(s), routes to take, inns to stay at, sports activies, farms to visit, hotels, special events and dates, shopping, etc... My ONLY complaint is that the pictures are all black and white, and there aren't very many of them. But then again, it never claims to be a photographic portrait of Vermont!
Love it. Five stars.

This is not your ordinary autobiography. It is a fabulous read. I wish the book were longer, containing more of Rob's life adventures. Thoughtful book that I think you too will enjoy!

"MY BOOK IS YOUR AMERICA. An album of my old friends and your new ones. Real citizens you deserve to greet, and know, and possibly remember. You shall know me by the people I have known."

With over sixty-five books published, including the highly acclaimed novel A DAY NO PIGS WOULD DIE and a series of Soup books that won him the prestigious Mark Twain Award, Robert Newton Peck is a well-seasoned author with an established readership. His books have explored a variety of subjects from his boyhood experiences in rural Vermont to tales about making ends meet while growing up on a farm, as a cattle rancher, or as a solider during the French and Indian War. WEEDS IN BLOOM, Peck's latest literary endeavor, is a simple yet enjoyable autobiography that unfolds as a series of sketches of various people who have influenced his life over the past seventy years.

True to his word, WEEDS IN BLOOM has no plot. Instead, each chapter focuses on a character who fits respectively into one of three periods in Peck's life: his "Vermont Boyhood," his "Early Manhood," and the "Florida Years." Although some readers may miss the safety that accompanies a linear story line, others will feel less bogged down by the lack of a traditional arc, and will delight in using their own imaginations to continue where Peck has left off in each tiny vignette. It is as if he has knowingly created 25 beginnings to 25 possible stories, and by reading through them, his readers are given access to the essence of his life by getting to know the people he has encountered along the way.

In Part I: Vermont Boyhood, Peck explores his childhood in all its rugged, wide-eyed glory. Here, we bear witness to his life at home with his family, complete with all the trappings of a carefree adolescence: practicing baseball in the sweltering summer heat, playing in the dirt until dusk, and learning life-long lessons from his elders. Two of the most memorable chapters in the book are in this first section --- "Miss Kelly," when Robert writes his first poem and shares it with his teacher, Miss Kelly (who proves to be a lasting inspiration for Peck), and "Keepsake," when he and his best friend Luther sneak into a truck stop bathroom to buy their first condom at the age of ten. (A humorous side note: Peck actually kept this same condom with him until well after his return from the Army, when he promptly buried the torn and ratty thing in the backyard as a tribute to his boyhood.)

Part II: Early Manhood charts Peck's life in the army and the years immediately following his return. In "Dear Elliot," we meet a dear friend and fellow soldier who touched the lives of those around him by simply sharing his care packages from home. Unfortunately, he was killed in battle, but not before altering Peck's life for the better. In "Saw" and "Paper," Peck tells of his grueling yet enlightening experiences in the saw and paper mills, and in "Dr. Granberry" we are introduced to a football scout for small colleges that would change Peck's life forever by pushing him to go to college and providing him with a scholarship.

Part III: The Florida Years covers the last third of Peck's life up to the present. For the most part, these stories take place in Florida and bear the fruit of his past journeys. As most storytellers are apt to do when looking back on their lives, he sounds wiser and well-worn in these passages, and the people (and animals) we meet in this section are weathered as well. The last entry entitled "Just as I Am" is a delightful list of thirty-three tried-and-true beliefs and expressions that he has stumbled across and stuck to throughout his life, the last of which being: "Wish not for apples. Grow strong trees."

All in all an interesting and personal retrospective of an accomplished author and well-loved cowboy, WEEDS IN BLOOM will surely satisfy young adult readers, particularly those fond of autobiographies and nonfiction.

--- Reviewed by Alexis Burling

I came to this book as a relative beginner in nature observation, I could pick out the major tree species, but not much more than that. This guide was of tremendous help to me in learning to see relationships between tree types and the soil, exposeur, water, and other plants. The text is focused on Vermont, but I found it very helpful in New Hampshire, and I am sure it would be useful in Maine and New York as well as some of the Great Lakes areas. It is also very beautiful to look at, though some what difficult to read straight through from cover to cover. Take it with you on a hike, or during fly season look at it when you get back.

I hope there are or will be additional books of this type for other areas of the country / world. The authors and artist have set a high standard.

As a resident of Vermont, I found this book to be one of the definitive works about Vermont's natural habitat. It is quite the eyeopener. The interactions of all the natural wonders of the state are completely explained, as well as the definitions of the specific ecosystems found everywhere. With this book I was able to map vernal pools, hemlock swamps and other sensitive habitats around me. Absolutely invaluable.