California Books

This is one of the most moving and sensitive books I've ever read. I couldn't put it down. I shed many tears as I read of the hardships and tragedies Rose, Alex and their families endured. I rejoiced when things went well. The descriptions and the illustrations gave me an insight as to how life was in Szatmar and in Budapest. "Ruchele" is a wonderful tribute to a family and I shall never forget it. I have recommended it to all my friends. I think it is important for students of all ages to read it. This time in history should never be forgotten.

A review originally published in the Los Angeles Jewish Times, June 12-18, 1998.

Ruchele was the youngest daughter in an Orthodox Jewish family of ten children in Szatmar, Romania. Like may of her contemporaries, she saw her childhood cut short by the outbreak of WWII and the Holocaust. In this memoir Ruchele, now named Rose, recounts her difficult girlhood in pre-war Romania and nazi-occupied Hungary. She tells how she survived under a Gentile identity in Budapest, and tells in plain words the price that she and other survivors among her family and friends had to pay. Los Angeles author Rose Farkas gives an eye-witness account of the history that changed Europe-and the World-forever in "Ruchele". (Fithian Press, Santa Barbara)

Excerpted from a letter from Greti Herman, July 1998

I have read the book and found it fascinating and especially enjoyed the details and touching anecdotes about neighbors and family members which bring to life the lost world of orthodox Judaism in Eastern Europe. As an added feature, her book is wonderfully illustrated by "Ruchele's" husband, Alex. The drawings give us the feel of the old country where we grew up.

Bittersweet Memories by Berverly Grey

Excerpted from The Jewish Journal, Dec. 11, 1998

They came from the same small town of Szatmar, Romania. But throughout their childhood and throughout the dark days of World War II, Rozsi Katz and Sanyi Farkas never laid eye on one another. Sanyi spent much of the war in a forced labor camp; Rozsi led a precarious life in Budapest, posing as a Christian. They did not meet until 1945, when both were back in Szatmar, waiting for family members who would never arrive.

Married and living in the United States, Rozsi and Sanyi, who have become Rose and Alex, prefer to focus on the positive. Since their arrival from Communist Romania in 1965, they have parlayed hard work and quick wits into a comfortable living.

Given their special closeness, it's not surprising that Rose's recently-published memoir is actually a family affair. The book is called "Ruchele: Sixty Years from Szatmar to Los Angeles" (Fithian Press) after Rose's childhood nickname, and it traces her personal history from the crowded apartment in Szatmar to the spacious home in Bel Air with its million dollar view. Rose recounts her harrowing experiences in wartime Budapest (at one point she sought shelter within the Hungarian Nazi Party) and depicts the grim days of Romanian Communism in full detail.

Proceeds from the sale of "Ruchele" will go to Sinai Temple, and they hoe to supply copies to school libraries so that all children can learn from it.

Everything about this book is of the speaks of quality. The numerous color prints are excellent,and the paper and binding have a luxurious feel.

This is a combination art book, art history book, book about religion, and travel book. The different perspectives that are brought together in this one volume makes it absolutely essential reading for anyone interested in Haiti. I have read it cover to cover twice, and plan to read it a third time.

Only one chapter suffers from a dry, academic approach, that is the one on African Voudou, and may be safely skipped without missing much. That chapter, which contains no color prints, is much below the standards of the rest of the book.

I am surprised that I am the first person to write a review of this book, because it is really an incredibly well done volume.

The authors include anthropologists, folklorists, art historians, voudou practioneers, and artists. Yet the organization of the book makes each chapter fl! ! ow into the other. Well worth the $100.00 purchase price.

Don't be put off by the word "voudou". This is not a goofy "new age" kind of book that teaches you to do spells. It is high quality, facinating analysis of the art, culture and lif of Haiti.

This book is the catalogue of the recent New Orleans Vodou exhibit. I had studied comparative religions when I was in college, so the origins and practice of vodou are of natural interest to me, but I knew absolutely nothing about vodou until seeing this exhibit. Having lived in New Orleans, I had always thought that voodoo involved sticking pins into dolls to bring bad luck or disease to an enemy and other darkly occult rituals. Obviously, I didn't understand vodou at all, not even to know the correct spelling. The Hollywood film industry is responsible for a large part of our misconceptions about vodou.

I quote André Pierre, a contributor to the catalog: "The Vodou religion is before all other religions. It is more ancient than Christ. It is the first religion of the Earth. It is the creation of the World. The World is created by Vodou. The world is created by magic. The first magician is God who created people with his own hands from the dust of the Earth. People originated by magic in all countries of the world. No one lives of the flesh. Everyone lives of the spirit."

Spirits (lwa) of vodou define parts of the universal human experience. The spirits all have names and personalities, very much like Roman Catholic saints. Like Mexican altars to deceased ancestors for El Dia de los Muertos, these vodou spirits are offered their favorite things that represent these personalities. These items are placed on altars or sewn in sequins and beads on 36" x 36" flags in their honor. The spirits, like saints, are invoked to grant favors or assist in getting through a difficult time, or they are praised for their virtues and help.

My two favorite Vodou spirits are Ezili Freda and Ezili Danto. These cousins are diametrically opposed forces of femininity. Ezili Freda represents love and luxury, a city girl who has elegant fashion sense, likes sweet drinks and Virginia Slims cigarettes. She looks pretty, dressed in white lace with pink trim. Her day is Thursday. Mater Dolorosa represents Ezili Freda.

Her country cousin Ezili Danto is linked to protective motherhood. She dresses in bright red and blue calicos and drinks strong rum. Black pigs symbolize Ezili Danto and her favorite food is fried pork. She smokes unfiltered Camel cigarettes and her days are Tuesdays and Saturdays. Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Mater Salvatoris represent Ezili Danto.

This catalog allows a closer study of the brilliant sequin art associated with vodou. Spirit bottles, mirrors, jackets, vests, leggings and flags are covered with the flash of sequins that are anchored with seed beads. The symbols of the vodou spirits and their aspects are reflected by the designs made with the sequins and beads.

The Sacred Arts catalog is an obviously well researched and comprehensive look at Vodou. I highly recommend it for a broad range of people, from cultural anthropologists to decorative artists.

I've been obsessed with this book ever since I was introduced to it. I find it well-researched and unbiased. It provides an accurate glance into this unfairly shunned religion.

As the title says, if you are interested in Vodou-influenced Haitian art (in other words, most Haitian art), this is the definitive book on the subject. If you are not interested in the subject, the breathtaking illustrations are likely to make you a convert.

Consentino has compiled some excellent information to go along with the pictures, including interviews with Vodouisants and artists. He avoids the all-too-common sensationalist treatments of Haitian Vodou, and is never condescending or patronizing. He (correctly) treats Vodou like a world religion, and gives it due respect; his scholarship is impeccable both in art and comparative religion. Well worth the cost: this is a coffee table book you will cherish.

This is a very entertaining and rewarding book. Charles West has a fine talent, and he has created a wonderful character in Bob Fisher, who vividly floats above the conventions of the mystery genre. Fisher is an "accidental" detective, inheritor of an investigations and collections agency, whose life is in something of recoil from his televised attempted murder of a larcenous televangelist. The name "Fisher" is resonant of both Christian and mythic symbolism, and it seems Bob's destiny to confront the phony and insincere in his own struggle for a belief system-- specifically in the book, when he is hired by Eternal Truth Temple to recover a Sacred Disc (floppy) believed to have been hijacked by a committee of disillusioned former acolytes. Bob himself is in some spiritual flounder as a result of his disillusions and disappointments, and attempts to find some comfort in the conventions of the classic crime fiction detectives. It's an overcoat which is mostly as ill-fitting as his former incarnations. The power of this book, and the development, is in the unfoldment of the main character. All takes place within that hotbed of cornpone/cult religiosity, California's Central Valley. It ain't LA, and it ain't New York. In fact, it ain't sure what it is, struggling with the transistion from agrarian fruit basket to urbanized fruitcake basket. What it is is Central California, a place West knows well, and finds a wonderfully believable setting for a delirious cult whose chief potentates are Yogi Ben Barr, and Baba Der Ursus. Charles West is a careful and controlled storyteller with a satisfying and sparse style. The pace is brisk, and West seems to be having a lot of fun with the conventions of a form he has mastered-- the mystery novel. If the characters are sometimes uncomfortable-- hilariously so-- with the familiar and subserviant roles which the genre assigns its players, West is very confident and easy with the assignment. Suspenseful and funny, poignant and cynical, The Sacred Disc is a highly successful first novel. It left me hoping I had not seen the last of Bob Fisher. Something tells me, I haven't.

Charles West is an English teacher in Fresno California and lives in the Sierra foothills. He has impeccable credentials for writing, having been a Fellow in the National Endowment for the Humanities in Shakespeare, the recipient of an award in Chicano literature from the Council for Basic Education, and a fellow at the Teaching Shakespeare Institute at Georgetown University and the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C.. The Sacred Disc is his first novel, and it earned West the Salvo Press Mystery Novel award. Bob Fisher is about to embark on his first assignment as a private investigator. He inherited the Anderson Agency, after working as head of the Collections Division. His first case appears, in the guise of Baba Der Ursus, Yogi Ben Barr, and Cooper Page, attorney-at-law. Yogi and Baba were co-founders of the Eternal Truth Temple, another cult organization situated near Yosemite National Park. Fisher's job is to find a missing computer disk that ostensibly contains the sacred text of the Eternal Truth Temple. They claim one of their committee members is probably responsible, Fisher agrees to take the case, and the search is afoot. Fisher must be a dude, because his presence around women seems to elicit similar results: "That was more than I wanted to know about the weather. It was always hot in San Joaquin during the summer. The variations didn't interest me. Nor did it interest Mrs. Baker very much, though she continued to smile, probably more as a result of the drink she was finishing than pride over her husband's meteorological expertise. It seemed her robe was either shrinking or getting shorter. A latent chauvinist impulse made me wonder if she was wearing anything under the robe." Fisher gets himself into enough mischief to satisfy the reader, while getting closer and closer to the answer to the puzzle. Fisher's sidekick, Holly Pena, is an interesting secondary character who promises to emerge in subsequent sequels. Holly runs the "office," but she also seems to come to the rescue whenever Fisher gets in over his head. All in all, The Sacred Disc is an interesting and entertaining first mystery for Charles West. The writing is crisp, characters are well thought out, and the plot line is simple and believable.

Shelly Glodowski Reviewer

This is the story of a laid back private investigator, Bob Fisher who has inherited a collection agency and takes his first case to find the Sacred Disc for the Eternal Truth Temple. Suspects include former temple recruits. As he begins the investigation, bodies start to appear. The ending is great. This is the author's first novel and I can only hope this is the start of a series.

Charles West scores with this first mystery novel, the tale of an "accidental" detective named Bob Fisher who inherits a collections and investigations agency in a barely-disguised Fresno, California. The Fruit Basket of the World becomes for West the Fruitcake Basket of the Universe. It's a peculiar California demimonde the author depicts, where agrarain tradition is decomposing into urbanization and corporate corruption. It's in this environment that Fisher is hired by the founders of the Eternal Truth Temple to recover the Sacred Disc-- a floppy, in this case-- which contains the tenets of their faith. But any church with high priests who call themselves Yogi Ben Barr and Baba Der Ursus is its own worst enemy. Fisher, in fact, seems born beneath whatever star determines that his karma bring him into constant conflict with phony belief systems. His dissillusioned past is blighted by his televised attempted murder of a televangelist who was scamming veterans, and his relaxed exploration of his own elastic morals drives the development of this novel. West enjoys playing with the mystery conventions, and the characters in the book seem to recognize their parts in the formula, and the chafing against type is one of the unique elements of West's voice. The writing is lean and effective, the story-telling controlled and on target. Don't walk, run to get this book. Read it. Then impress your friends with the new talent you've discovered.

I have purchased other trail books for colorado, but Sherry's book is by far the best! I can plan for a local day ride, or plan for a weekend get away (including trails, lodging, etc.) Can't wait for Book Number 2!

Yee Haw! Saddle up Colorado is here! Finally, a book for trail riders that gives comprehensive, usable and easy to read detail and does not take a lot of time to figure out what, where and how to find the trail of your desire! Sherry Snead ropes in the finite details of trails, location, parking, places to stay and distances to landmarks. A must read for every rider interested in hitting Colorado Trails with their horse!
Saddle Up, Colorado

This book is remarkable & beautiful, in it's presentation and detail, on how to access the trails of Colorado. You need not look any further for a trails book if you love to trail ride and spend time with your horse. This book gives you all the information you will need for lodging, camping, horse hotels, trail maps and overall trail descriptions with beautiful color photos.
Whether you are a horseman, hiker, biker or anybody who enjoys the great outdoors will love this book. This trails book is state wide, so if you want to go for 1 day or 1 week this book has it all and you will never run out of trails to ride, bike or hike.

Great idea and very well done! This is a beautiful, comprehensive, and intelligent guide book that features about 100 of the best trail rides in Colorado. With clear and concise details about degree of difficulty, elevation, dogs, whether or not shoes are recommended, fees, directions, maps, best season to go, and color photos, this book will make a great gift for all the people on my list who have horses and love to take them on trails. The photos are so great that I can picture myself there, especially the ones of places in Colorado I have already been. I love this book!

A beautiful, informative and spectacular oversized book on the Salton Sea. A place that needs to be saved and understood. This book will start your journey.

This book is wonderful! I highly recommend it.

The Salton Sea Atlas covers the complex issues facing this very special body of water in a clear, yet comprehensive, fashion (use of graphics and illustrations over exhaustive use of text). It's a beautiful book, and the most wide-ranging piece about the Salton Sea that I've been able to find. You will not be disappointed with it.

Buy this book

--Just wanted to second the comments of the other reviewers regarding the quality and presentation of this book. It's a scientific work undertaken by the Salton Sea Database Program of the Redlands Institute of the University of Redlands, but it's enclosed within a lovely and large glossy coffee table book. It also includes much information about the cultural history of the Salton Sea and its region in a remote part of the southern California desert. I especially enjoyed the beautiful wildlife illustrations and biological information, though most of the book covers the physical science of the Salton Sea. I gave a copy to someone at a Christmas party held many miles away at the Orange County coast, and people literally were waiting and nagging for their turn to look through this beautiful book about this mysterious and controversial inland subtropical sea.

The Salton Sea Atlas explores issues and information regarding California's largest lake and most valuable environmental resource -- the Salton Sea.

This book is a must for those interested in the Salton Sea, environmental change, water issues in the American Southwest, history, or geography. Its graphical synthesis of complex social, scientific, and geographic information is superb and can be appreciated by all audiences. This is a wonderful publication.

I recommend it wholeheartedly

Stunning photography captures this beautiful city perfectly. I live just north in Orange County and still flip through this book hoping to visit soon!

I found this book for sale through (...) It was a very valuable book to have while touring San Diego. Our visitors didn't miss a thing.

The most amazing thing about this beautiful book is its cost. It's a magnificent coffee-table size photo album of San Diego and environs and it sells for less than $$. Yes, it's a paperback but the price is still a bargain! The size and the quality of the color photographs bring San Diego to life, as does the charming text by Charlene Baldridge. This is a love letter to a city that is famous for its weather and zoo and underappreciated for its cultural attractions. Ms. Baldridge states in her introduction, "As those who live here [in San Diego] discovered long ago, one visit is not enough, and the second could last a lifetime." What follows is her guided tour of the city: it's Cultural History, Entertainment, Arts and Culture, Nearby Attractions and list of Resources that includes the attraction's name, address, phone number and website. This book is the perfect souvenir for anyone who lives in San Diego, visits San Diego, or dreams about a trip to San Diego.

Northland Publishing offers another visual gem of one of America's great locations...San Diego. A softbound, coffee table size book that is a feast for the eyes and soft on the pocketbook. Jammed packed with amazing photography, you often feel like you have stepped into the locations yourself. Auther, Charlene Baldridge has a genuine love for this city and willing shares all of the wonders this town has to offer. If you are looking to visit or have spent time in San Diego or are one of its citizens, this visual tribute is a must have.

Since we are new to San Francisco, I find that this is a very good reference for me to pick a good public school in my neighborhood. This provide you with a summary of public school in your county and the rankings of each individual school by their test scores, school award winners.
I find it very useful in helping me to locate a good public school for my son but I hope it can also provide information of private school so as to make to list complete.

It's so difficult and time consuming to find information that objectively compares schools. This book does the work for you...it presents a lot of info in a very readable format. I highly recommend this book to any parent.

This book gives you a tremendous amount of valuable information about Bay Area schools. Anyone looking for a home in the San Francisco area should definitely buy it!

Uprooting a young family is a traumatic experience no matter how many times one has done it before. We are relocating to the West coast from Maryland. Locating the right house in the right neighborhood translates to finding the "right" schools for your children. It is difficult to find comprehensive information about schools when you live far away. I daresay it is difficult for local residents as well. This is a personal decision that one doesn't always want to share with outsiders, even co-workers. Advice from real estate people or school administrators is not always objective. It is difficult to know what questions to ask and what facts to compare. The book gave me an effective roadmap for this important decision. It helped me overcome one difficult hurdle.

"The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market Cookbook" is filled with fabulous photographs, appetizing recipes and excellent tips about seasonal fruits, vegetables, herbs, meats, cheese, eggs and fish!

Peggy Knickerbocker has done an excellent job at researching seasonal foods and the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market! She is a food and travel writer that has written for Gourmet, Food & Wine, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times and Saveur.

Christopher Hirsheimer is a photographer whose work has appeared in Saveur, as well as cookbooks written by Lidia Bastianich, Rick Bayless, Julia Child and Jacques Pepin.

California is a state bursting with flavor. In such a large state, virtually anything can grow there. Kiwifruits, rice, wine, olives, tomatoes, corn, strawberries and much more! The influx of other cultures help infuse their produce and culinary contributions.

Excellent recipes in this book are: Avocado and Grapefruit Salad with Frisee, Fried Zucchini Blossoms, Shaved Raw Asparagus with Lemon Vinaigrette and Roasted Halibut with Braised Artichokes and Potatoes.

This entire book reminds me of my previous life in California where food never tasted fresher. Where ingredients are fresh, recipes are simple, yet the result was sophisticated and intoxicating.

Great book!

What a great resource. I had to read this book for work and I now cook from it all the time.

This is a spectalarly colorful cookbook with innovative tasty recipes for items found at a Farmer's Market. I use it all the time. Excellent.

The subtitle's "A Comprehensive Guide to Impeccable Produce Plus Seasonal Recipes", but it's oh-so-much more than that. Filled with recipes culled from dozens of cookbooks, plus personal interviews with favorite farmers and purveyors... a must-have for Bay Area residents and a fantastic gift for anyone who loves San Francisco.

This book really shows the heart of Santa Barbara through beautiful photography that really captures all aspects of such an amazing city-- we are using it for guests to sign at our Santa Barbara wedding :)

I have been a Santa Barbara resident for over twenty years and the book truly captures the beauty of our city. We recently purchased the book for family in Germany so they can share in the blessing we call our home.

Sven Klein - Santa Barbara, CA

The pictures are increadible. This truly captures the beauty of Santa Barbara. There are many shots from areas that most tourists will never see. This is a great book to suplement a travel book to help plan a trip.

It's a wonderful book for keepsake!
Great pictures that capture the beauty of Santa Barbara; the book also provides ideas for sightseeing. With the book, you don't have to worry that you don't take good pictures or you miss any thing. If you enjoyed sight seeing or taking photos, this that sure worth what you'd paid for it..

Eden and her father have always gone from country to country, city to city, earning a living from gambling. But one day, Eden's father leaves her, so she sets out for California to find a husband and start a new life. But there, she can't keep from gambling again, and she falls in love with a man that doesn't love her back - and when he finaly returns her love, Eden's father shows up, and he could result in Eden losing all that she has gained.

Eden Moran has the attention of a lot of the men in Last Chance,California, much to her pleasure. She's used to men falling all over themselves until she meets up with Josiah Bullock. But wouldn't you know, the one man that treats her the worst for most of the story is the man she loves and he loves her back. This girl can take care of herself and I reccomend this book to anyone who's interested in historical romance.

A young woman on her own in the not so urban area of wildcat county. Living a life of gambling, gossip, and scandal. Taking a risk, getting her self into trouble, and adventure. But not minding much of any thing at all. Untill she falls in love with one of the riches men in town. But who can this man be? After all, every man would love to court the scandalous Eden Moran. I love the book it's Romantic, Adventurous, Intriguing, Exciting, and of course. . . SCANDALOUS!

The plot was fascinating, kind of like the picture brides of the past. Fierce women are shipped to a town, believing it's a large city, only to find it be be out in the middle of nowhere. Females will love these romances, adults may also. Very graphic at times, but nothing raunchy.

If you're going to read this, you need to read all the books in the series. One is not complete without the others.