Leagues Books

This is quite an imaginitive story. League will take you places you have never been and you will meet characters like no others you have met. Arax Kermani has a knack for telling a story and this book will not disappoint the young reader.
There is plenty of action for any reader. I liked the character of Xerxes and felt sorry for him because he seems lost, but he has a lot of inner strengths and convictions and I like that in a character.
This has a surprise ending so keep a box of tissue nearby.

I loved this book. It is a story about a teenager Xerxes who is raised by an avil man, Sin (who you like later on) and Xerxes goes in hunt of evil spirits which he captures in a jeweled sword. I didn't understand some of the foreign language used in the book but it made the story more exotic.
I was facsinated by all of the places he visited and the myths about them. There is plenty of adventure but be prepared to cry in the end.
I loved League of the Spirit Hunters and I think any teen will tell you it is a great story!

I loved this book. It is about a teenager Xerxes who is raised by an evil man, Sin (who you like later on) and he goes in search of evil Spirits and captures them in jeweled swords. Some of the dialogue written in another language was hard for me to understand but it made the book more exotic.
I felt a lot of emotion for Xerxes as I followed him on his journey but all he really wanted to be was an ordinary kid. The ending will make you cry so be careful when you read it.
All in all it is a really good book that any teen will enjoy.

I was in college when the WBL existed - I remember we used to talk about going to see a game when we were home on semester break in D.C. but we never got around to it. The biggest game of the year was always when ODU and Lieberman and Nissen would come to maul our womens team - the gym was packed to beyond capacity and always outdrew the mens game. This is an interesting read with all the funny and poignant stories of a league's startup and also some sad stories, too - well worth it.

What would you say about a league that survived for three tumultuous seasons due to players who many times had paychecks bounce higher than the basketballs, a handful of owners who truly wanted to operate a first-rate league and a fandom that came out in impressive numbers for the final championship series?

Karra Porter, an attorney who has represented several WNBA players, pens the first history of the WBL, that operated from 1978-1981. It is an important addition to the knowledge of a reader who enjoys exploring basketball history or wants to better comprehend the battle waged in women's team sports to have viable leagues at the professional level.

Porter covers every facet of the game - from the front office and hardcourt, to the media and fans - and thoroughly describes the financial stumbling off the court that doomed the product on the court.

Ultimately it was the shabby treatment of players that destroyed the league. In the final season, several teams and individuals staged walkouts in protest of not being paid. A showdown between owners who wanted the league to be operated professionally and those who had more shallow verbiage than cash caused a rift that sunk the WBL in a sea of broken promises.

But how close the WBL came to making it.

At least one NBA owner was interested in investing in an existing team, but watched to see if the league would stabilize financially. The league just missed on what became the sports boom in cable television, when a then regional operation in Bristol, Conn., espn, began its search to show sports 24 hours a day.

As much oral history as it is research, Mad Seasons is a great read.

This book from new author Karra Porter was well worth the wait. It is not a dry history of the oft forgot WBL, but rather an engaging and fun read. The years of research that went into this book is obvious with its detailed accounts and interviews. A true labor of love by a dedicated basketball fan, "Mad Seasons" offers an objective "insider's" look at the rise and fall of this pioneering effort.

Fans and women's basketball professionals alike should read this book to see just far we've come and what the phrase "playing for the love of the game" really means.

I would, however, have included the unpublished "Media Glare" chapter (see the book's website for more info) rather than the "Snapshots" chapter. While the snapshots are interesting and amusing, media coverage remains a hot issue among fans and I think many would have been greatly interested in it - particularly as it also gives us the history of the first women's college basketball poll.

I don't read many mysteries. They are usually too formulaic to be entertaining. That being said, I am so happy I found this book because it has renewed my faith in mystery writers. Mr. Markowitz is an excellent writer and this particular story captivated me. The characters had such depth--I found myself thinking about Cassie O'Malley all the time! This is a wonderful read, I am looking forward to Mr. Markowitz's next book.

Some good fun at the ballpark turned tragic. A local political race, a psychic, a mysterious cabbie, a disputed wildlife refuge and the intrepid Cassie O'Malley all come together in "A Minor Case of Murder" to guarantee readers a fast-paced scramble to unravel the mystery of a woman's mistaken death on the pitcher's mound. Jeff Markowitz is masterful as he weaves romance, humor and drama together in a tale that escalates to a dramatic---and surprising---finish. Entertaining, and guaranteed to keep readers guessing until the very end!

In Doah, reporter Cassie O'Malley meets minor league baseball owner Andy MacTavish following the funeral of his great-great uncle octogenarian local historian Harrison T. Dicke. They talk over hot cocoa and he soon asks if he could call her for a date. The thirtyish widow says yes, which is a first since her spouse died a few years ago.

Andy takes Cassie to watch his baseball team, the Sand Skeeters, play. She enjoys the game and the between innings fun especially the mascot Skeeter. Later she meets Skeeter without the costume, teenager Donna Carter, who is dating Andy's younger brother. At the last game of the season, Skeeter dies on the pitching mound; however, the victim is not Donna, but her pal Heather. Andy wonders if the Birders who opposed his ballpark are behind the homicide so he asks journalist Cassie to investigate even as he continues to date her.

This fine sports whodunit pays homage to minor league baseball, which is so much fun (this reviewer born near Yankee Stadium and living a few miles from the Braves loved watching the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons play a game last year - if you have not done so try it; so much fun). The story line is a cozy that looks deep into the soul of the heroine as she begins to unravel the motive behind the murder of the mascot until she finally hits a walk off homerun. Sub-genre fans will want to watch all nine innings of this delightful hometown baseball mystery.

Harriet Klausner

This book has wonderful tips for new moms. A real feel good book for when mom feels frazzled or just wants to pick something up to read. A great shower gift!

Every new mom I know will get a copy of this book. It's full of friendly, supportive tips that tell us to trust our instincts when it comes to knowing what's best for our babies. First-time moms in particular will benefit from Motherwise's loving approach.

I loved this book! It is full of concise, easy to read information and advice that truly supports what you feel as a new mom. Alice Bolster tells new moms that they know their babies best and gives them the strength to go with their own instincts. I highly recommend this book as a shower gift, and plan to give it to every expectant parent I know.

"A Negro League Scrapbook" paired with Sharon Robinson's "Safe at Home" would make a great gift for boys ages 10 - 16. Add a baseball glove and other gear and you are sure to score a home run with your loved one!
The history in "Scrapbook" should be taught to our boys at school or in church -- please don't let this history die! "Safe at Home" has great insight into the thought processes of boys dealing with death, moving, peer pressure, bullies, teamwork, hard work, and perseverance. This would also be a great gift for a new teacher looking for high quality history and / or sports books. Enjoy!

With the saturation of sports coverage today, great teams & players are as disposable as the paper boxes for a fast-food meal. That is what makes A Negro League Scrapbook so important for young people.

With a forward by the great Buck O'Neil, the book takes the reader through the pre-NLB era to 1947, when Jackie Robinson donned the Brooklyn Dodgers uniform and desegregated Major League Baseball. The rich history of NLB includes no discrimination in the stands, on the field or in the front offices.

Through the use of archival photographs - in a layout like a family album - and creative, short cutlines/overviews, the book can be a fun study tool for family members. It is important that our future leaders in all walks of life learn about the past today to forge ahead with a clear understanding of the journey to tomorrow.

Young people will not learn about NLB - or the pre-NLB era - in most history classes. And the names Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Buck Leonard, Josh Gibson and - importantly - Buck O'Neil need to be understood in an overall historical sense as much as appreciating their achievements on the diamond.

Carole Boston Weatherford has touched all the bases - and home plate - with a book that adults and children can share and learn from for many years.

In 1998, my family visited the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. It was an unforgettable experience. To create this book, I paired a poetic tribute to the Negro Leagues with statistics, anecdotes, player profiles, and historic images of baseball players, teams and memorabilia. The result is a virtual museum of the Negro League's heyday during the Jim Crow era. Back then, African-Americans were treated as second-class citizens, but these black ball players were second to none. And their game was first class. The most rewarding part of researching this project was talking with baseball legend Buck O'Neil, who graciously provided the book's foreword. The book appeals to baseball fans and history buffs of all ages.

I got this book because I collect autographs, but I enjoyed reading the book for the short bio written about each player. It's easy to read all about the famous Negro Leaguers, but in this book you can learn a lot about some of the lesser known, but very good players. I think this book is great for both autograph and baseball history buffs.

This book was a delight to read and will be a great reference in the future. The authors did a thorough, scholarly research effort and it shows in the quality of the information in the book. Though the focus is on autographs, I felt the background on the players and other history was worth the price of the book alone. A must for autograph collectors and of great value to anyone interested in the Negro Leagues of American baseball history. Congrats to the authors on an outstanding job!

The book not only gives you a run down of the players career and their history but shares with the reader the variations in the signature that transpired from playing days to reunion times. Gives a scarcity report on the autograph besides the price range value. Superb reading!!

I also used this book in a PhD Qualitative Reasearch course. I found it to be very well written and easy to understand. Of the three books the class used, this was by far the favorite.

I am trying to learn phenomenology to do nursing research. This book is an excellent starting point. It has helped me to become "immersed" in the method of phenomenology.

Used the book for Phd nursing qualitative research class. It was useful and easy to follow.

I received this cookbook as a wedding shower gift in 1990. I've tried many of the recipes and have had wonder "feed" back. Now when I go to family get-togethers or company pot-lucks, people ask me to bring certain dishes from this book. I found the recipes to be easy, elegant and delicious. Note: My edition (1989)does not have calorie or nutritional break downs.

We still have our copy of "Nutbread and Nostalgia" from 1979 - the binding is ripped away, pages are rough on the edges, and my Mom still uses it all the time (she keeps it wrapped with a rubber band to keep it together).
I am SO happy to see that it's still in print - we were going to try to photocopy the entire book and re-bind it, but now I can just purchase a brand new one for my Mom!
There are probably about twelve recipes in here that became family favorites... I look forward to having a new copy for myself as well.

With four children my twin sister did a lot of cooking while they were all home. On our birthday, I would always give her a cookbook as we both like to "read" cookbooks and cook too. "Nutbread and Nostalgia" was purchased from a small kitchen store in Astoria, OR in 1987. I was having dinner with a friend at a nearby restaurant when I picked this gem of a cookbook out for my sister. I must have stood there for a long time looking at the various recipes (a sign that I am enthralled with the content). When it came to our birthday, I received a copy of the same book from my friend. What a treasure!

This book is filled with sepia toned photographs from the turn of the century and includes menu ideas and recipes of "comfort" food that I am sure you will enjoy.

Oh My Stars!: Recipes That Shine is the collaborative effort of the members of The Junior League Of Roanoke Valley, Virginia and offer cookbook connoisseurs a superb compendium of culinary delights that would grace any table and enhance any formal or informal dining occasion. Visually enriched with a wealth of full color photography, the recipes range from Simmered Mushrooms Bourguignonne; Chilled Tomato Soup with Avocado Cream; Veal Piccata with Capers and Pine Nuts; and Virginia Trout Meuniere; to Cabbage and Potatoes with Tomatoes and Smoked Cheese; Herbed Sour Cream Muffins; Pepper Jack Cheese and Herb Souffle; and Frosted Brown Sugar Pound Cake. Kitchen cooks and dedicated cookbook browsers will fully appreciated the cooking tips and anecdotes that regularly appear throughout this enthusiastically recommended addition to family cookbook collections.

This cookbook is a must have for everyone! It contains easy and fun recipes for all types of occasions from "every night" dinners to dinner parties or special occasions. Great kids section! Beatifully designed and easy-to-follow recipes; great kitchen and cooking tips on sidebars.

I love to collect cookbooks - especially Junior League cookbooks - and this is one of my favorites! "Oh My Stars" is filled with many wonderful, easy, elegant and delicious recipes! It has a fabulous children's section that has provided lots of fun ideas for my kids. It's easy to read, easy to follow and the ingredients are easily found and everything that I have made has been great! I definitely recommend this Junior League cookbook to all cooking, dining and cookbook enthusiasts! Enjoy!!

Old Leather provides an intimate glimpse at pro football's early days. In the tradition of Larence Ritter's baseball classic "The Glory of Their Times," this book provides first person accounts from players, coaches, and executives from the NFL's first two decades. From Hall of Famers like Dutch Clark, Fritz Pollard, and Link Lyman to relatively unkown figures like Ike Roy Martin and Cyrus Kahl, all of the stories are fascinating. Until the mid-thirties, Ohio was the center of the pro football universe, and the interviews that Chris Willis has collected provide a unique insight to that time and place. For anyone interested in football history, this book is indespensible.

For football fans and general football buffs this is a great book. Not many books touch on early pro-football with such knowledge of the game. Great quick read!

This is one of the best football books I have ever read. Well worth the money spent. Unfortunately, the history of football infancy has been largely ignored over the last several decades. Old Leather has actually unearthed interviews from the men who created the NFL we know today - and all it all happened, largely, in Ohio. There's no filter here, just the actual words of pioneers like Fritz Pollard, the first African-American to play and coach in the NFL and graphic accounts of the brutal, masochistic violent nature of football before it was "civilized" for mass consumption. No football library is complete without a copy of Old Leather on shelf.