Southern Books

It is so hard to find a beginning of this review, as there is so much coming out of the book. First the book comes alive with the people that are involved in the making of the book, and the Cafe itself. It was like you read about the characters in a story which come to life and and you can not wait to get to the recipes to see what they have done. Without saying I thought the selection and types of recipes was outrages in the good sense. Besides having a wonderful cook book for veggies, they went beyond the normal and added the wonderful stories about the beginning and the people involved in the Cafe. I believe if more cook books were written this way the people would enjoy them more than they do. In closing I would like to congratulate Max & Rosie for a job well done. If more are to come would be very interested in knowing. Thank you.

I just have to comment on this cookbook. The recipes it contains are absolutely delicious. I mean, it's unbelievable. Plus, the recipes are not complicated, and the food is very wholesome. You enjoy a plate of delicious food, and then your body feels great! (Not weighed down and greasy.) My favorite recipe out of this book is the Rhia Me Dear Rice Salad. This dish has been a minor obsession of mine ever since I lived in Asheville as a teenager. I now make it in my home regularly. The sauce that goes with it is DIVINE. It's vegetable bliss. If you want to eat healthfully, yet feel like you're cheating on yummy foods, get this cookbook. YUM!

What a fabulous book! It magically creates a whole ambiance around healthful eating, from the gorgeous illustrations to the mouthwatering recipes and delightful, insightful commentary that both captivates and educates. Also, as a practising Nutritionist, I really appreciate that these recipes are truly healthy and not dairy or wheat dependent. A perfect companion for those new to a naturally healthy lifestyle, and those seeking new inspiration in an established natural foods diet.

It was October 1994 that I took those first steps into Asheville's vegetarian food grotto. You actually step down a few steps to get into Max & Rosie's Café, and most always greeted by a happy face behind the counter. It has the feeling of some Sufi café in London (if indeed there is such a place). Maybe that's because Max (that's not his really name by the way) follows the Sufi path, and IS from London. He's Rosie's husband. She's from Miami (and Rosie's not her real name either). She'll tell if you ask...

When you buy their book you'll learn more about their names and how they got started. It's a little bit of a mystery.

This is a review of Max & Rosie Beeby's first book.
 
It wasn't long after visiting the café that first time, that Rosie shared with me her desire to write a book. Our heritages both stem from New York City so she was easy for me to love immediately! She had already been a Macrobiotic food teacher back in Florida, and now serving the public she was ready. It made sense. However, being an active and dutiful mother, and Max doing his artwork (which the book and cafe is filled with) there was little time for book writing (and Rosie would like to stay away from the computer as much as she can.

However they were determined, and 7 years later Ten Speed Press published the book. Named after their restaurant (as in the tradition of Moosewood and other best-selling cookbooks), Cafe Max & Rosie's is a delightful and creative 178 pages of, not only recipes, but short statements of some of the people who have worked and visited the café, sort of like their guest book.

This book is a great "table top" addition. You can "feel" not only the essence of the food, but can also get the same "feel" of Max's artwork. Ah, Max, quite a mystic himself. With the rugged look of an English pub bouncer, he exhibits the gentleness of a Buddhist monk. I've spent a couple of nights talking with him late at night in their log cabin in the mountains.

Their book is divided: Part one called "Rosie's Cooking Classes," and part two "Just Juice It!" 

So, what distinguishes one cook book from another? Is it the amazing dishes? I think not, for as I have said of their restaurant, I say also of their book, "As Japanese culture has shown, how we eat--the ambience--is as important as the food itself."
 
The heavy parchment paper on which the words and artwork are reproduced can best be described as a table setting worthy of the love and purity contained within the recipes. And if you are indeed a food aficionado, page 56 offers a "Linguini with Fresh Garlic and Asparagus" recipe with tempeh, Portobello mushrooms, and spinach, that will soothe your senses, titillate your palate, and nourish you body. 

Is this the best cookbook I have read? I can't say, because I don't "read" cookbooks, I sense them. My sense of the Cafe Max & Rosie's book is that it is very "edible." It is a book worth having in your home....

Sw. Virato is editor and producer/publisher of New Frontier Magazine, Asheville Magazine, and Chattanooga Spirit, Bliss Magazine.

I am returning to order my sixth copy of this inspiring and entertaining cookbook for a Vegan friend. My kids (7 and 9 years old) even love the fare, and that's a blessing to a single, working parent with little time and very picky eaters. Ten Speed Press scores again -- who wouldn't want to devour these deliciously clever dishes sourrounded by the tale of Max and Rosie's timeless love? Spirited, playful, and best-of-all yummy, healthful eating. Congratulations Max & Rosie -- your family is about to get much, much bigger!

"For anyone who cares about what they eat when they are on the road, this is the book. It has it all from restaurants, to farmer's markets, to places to walk and see. Don't leave home without it. I can't wait for the complimentary copies on the other areas of California to come out."
C. Fels - Educational Consultant - Tai Chi for Health Instructor
www.earthwalktaichi.com

I just used Patricia's California Healthy, as I was driving down to Los Angeles. Even though I've driven the route all my life, I can tell this book is going to change how I travel up and down the state. This time, instead of just pulling into the first or second eatery that "looked okay," we followed the book's clear map to a healthy cafe destination. Comparing a couple of the book's reviews beforehand was fun, as we narrowed down our choice. Had we not consulted California Healthy, we would have had typical, high-calorie road food, but instead we had a tasty (fresh, seasoned, mouth-watering) affordable meal.

The book's color photos add note-worthy identification to the destinations' descriptions. Not only does the book guide you to restaurants, but farmers' and whole food markets, local attractions, and wineries. The recipes in the back are another "bonus" of the book, adding to the authenticity of its message: eat delicious food at home and/or on the road. Neither time-crunches nor unfamiliar environs are an excuse to treat your body poorly. The recipes are easy and quick; the directions to the food purveyors will get you in and out quickly.

We are lucky to be in California when we're traveling because we can take advantage of so many healthy-minded food enterprises. With a little direction from California Healthy, we can proudly boast of delicious, healthy choices, whenever we hit the road.

This is a wonderful book, well researched and informative. I refer to it frequently. And I have just purchased another copy for a friend.

California Healthy, Southern California Edition (America Healthy) (America Healthy)
I REALLY LOVE THIS BOOK!!! IT'S LIKE BEING IN CALIFORNIA AGAIN.
This is a beautiful book with tons of pictures, mouth watering recipes (I liked the broccoli saute' the best) and lots of safe places for me and my dogs to go walking. You can't miss with this book. What an education I got just from reading it. I'll have my trip all planned out before I even get to California. Wa Hoo. Thanks to Patricia for making such a great book.

California Healthy: The Adventurer's Guide to Local Delicacies, Fine Wine, Great Walks and the Good Life is a guide for California residents as well as vacationers. What distinguishes California Healthy is its close attention to the healthy food and fitness-promoting activities. County-by-county listings give the address, telephone number, and open numbers of everything from restaurants with healthful cuisine to parks ideal for walks to art galleries, botanical gardens, artisan's markets, colleges, special holiday celebrations and much more. Full-color maps and photographs on almost every page add a splendid visual touch to this high-quality guide for anyone in the Southern California area seeking to stay in shape.

A well composed photographic book. One of few books of it's kind which highlights Southern California's ever present but, often over-looked mountain ranges. If you have never visited your local mountains, this book will make you want to.

Olander's book is a fantastic coffee table book and at the same time a tour guide and history book. I thoroughly enjoy this book each time I open it- which is often. I have often explored and hiked these mountains and have visited many if not most of the places shown in Ms. Olanders' book. It has motivated me to seek out places I haven't been and to re-visit others with new knowledge and history guiding me. I highly recommend this book to all who enjoy nature.

This book is filled with both stunning photography and graceful prose. Call of the Mountains spans an 18 month period in which the Olanders explored their local mountain ranges. It chronicles the people that they meet along the way and the stories that the ancient mountains hold. The book concludes with the desire that these treasured mountains be preserved for future generations.

This is much more than a book with great pictures. Ann & Farley Olander show the rest of us how we can enjoy the quiet beauty and simple pleasures of the wilderness next door. Unassuming and inspiring, this book is a roadmap for nature lovers and urbanites alike.
It is truly a collection of quiet visual poetry that rhymes with wilderness.

Benoit & Kathryn Gendron, New York City

Thank you Ann and Farley Olander. My husband and I have always enjoyed the mountains, and the San Gabriel Mountains hold a special place in our hearts. It is so nice seeing California mountains so lushly photographed with important prose. Our friends pick it up to look at the photos, but always end up reading it as well. It is truly an inspired partnership that created this work or art.

Bob Horn has obviously gone to every one of these areas, or gathered info from other climbers and detailed them well in this book. His line drawings and sketches are better then usual and are easy to find and follow.
My only gripe is that a lot of the southern front range bouldering classics are on private property and no directions are given to several areas. I think when a climber is accessing private property, a simple stop at the owners residence will often gain you legal access to these precious gems.
From and ex-greenhorn valley dweller, enjoy!

This book offers easy to read maps and drawings with a personal touch not seen in other guides of this type. A wealth of information has been gathered and revealed within the text. This just one of a series of books that has a unique handcrafted touch were value will increase with time. In Front Range Bouldering texts the author has obviously taken the time to walk around and observe each individual boulder by drawing them and notating their features. Great bargain.

This book offers easy to read maps and drawings with a personal touch not seen in other guides of this type. A wealth of information has been gathered and revealed within the text. This just one of a series of books that has a unique handcrafted touch were value will increase with time. In Front Range Bouldering texts the author has obviously taken the time to walk around and observe each individual boulder by drawing them and notating their features. Great bargain.

This book offers easy to read maps and drawings with a personal touch not seen in other guides of this type. A wealth of information has been gathered and revealed within the text. This just one of a series of books that has a unique handcrafted touch were value will increase with time. In Front Range Bouldering texts the author has obviously taken the time to walk around and observe each individual boulder by drawing them and notating their features. Great bargain.

This book offers easy to read maps and drawings with a personal touch not seen in other guides of this type. A wealth of information has been gathered and revealed within the text. This just one of a series of books that has a unique handcrafted touch were value will increase with time. In Front Range Bouldering texts the author has obviously taken the time to walk around and observe each individual boulder by drawing them and notating their features. Great bargain.

This is the best California fishing book series available. There are also the Central and Northern California editions. The best features of these books that makes them so valuble is the commentary and especially the pictures. So many times I have gone to a campsite or lake, only to be so disappointed to find a pond instead of a lake or a campsite with no scenic beauty. These books have pictures of each fishing site, so you have an excellent idea of what you are in for. There is nothing as disappointing as finding a site way below your expectations after driving for hours to get there. These books pretty much eliminate that scenario, especially since they also give you contact information so you can verify the fishing site is still intact, active and as you see it in the picture. Beautiful color pictures on EVERY page of the book. Outstanding.

I have used this book so much I may need to buy a new copy! His reviews tell you everything.

Save yourself some time and buy two or three copies of this fishing guide. You are certain to want to share all of the great info with friends and it's likely that you will wear out your own!
This guy knows every place you could possibly find to fish in Southern California and tells you exactly what to expect at each place (saves disappointments without ruining pleasant surprises).
Great advice - great guide - GREAT gift!

I live near the Los Padres National Forrest. Reading first about the destinations I am personally familiar with, I can tell that Chris has personally fished and hiked these areas with regularity. This guy knows what he's talking about.

The book will primarily tell you where to go and what bait offerings to use. If you are not an experienced fishermen, its not a great primer on the basics of fishing. You'll need complimentary books for that.

This book is an absolute must for any Southern California hiker, backpacker or camper who incorporates fishing into the recreational package. It's stimulated some great new outdoor ideas for me. I can't wait to hit some of the new spots that Chris talks about.

(Chris, if you read this, how about adding GPS coordinates in your next book?)

I'm a fly fisher who has fished (both fly and conventional) many of the streams and lakes (as well as the ocean) in Southern California for the last twenty six years. I've looked at many guide and how to books only to put them down, realizing that what I'm holding was not "definitive." But Shaffer's book is definitive, and more importantly, it is very practical. All of the essential items are in each of his entries, and the information is very up-to-date. Also, there are phone numbers, maps, directions, and other important pieces of data.

I was talking to a friend of mine of some of the places I had fished and camped at as a child, but I couldn't remember the names of these specific places--only the locations. I very badly wanted to go back, but I couldn't find the information on the Internet. As I perused this book, I found the stream in this book. It was easy because it goes by region or area.

It also gives some tactics for dealing with certain streams and lakes. Once again, the information is very up-to-date and practical.

Overall, I was very satisfied with this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants to fish Southern California.

Giff did a great job on his dragonfly book! It's easy to read and to use!
I never realized that there were so many different kind of dragonflies!!!

Giff Beaton's book is comprehensive, understandable, and also beautiful. Buy this book if you are not interested in the subject, you will be when you read it.

This book sets new standards for odonate field guides. In addition to covering the Southeast this book is also useful for people living in the mid-atlantic states. Photographs are excellant.

I have recently purchased this book and I am extremely happy with it. It contains a great deal of useful information and I actually found the quick key inside useful. I admit that am not very familiar with odonates, but this book has helped me i.d. a good portion of the dragonflies I have in my collection and has really encouraged me to pay more attention to them on my outdoor excursions.
Highly recommend this guide!

Everything I wanted is in this book: beautiful photos, identification tips, larva information, possible locations, flight dates, and much more.

If you have even the slightest interest in odonates, you should buy this reference.

Having lived in Southern Africa and talked to people who had knowledge of those events this is a good account of what went on for a historical point of view. I would recommend reading the entire series. A very good read!

I am a 49 year old man who has recently taken up reading after an absence of too many years. I have found that Wilbur Smith's books have filled the void of recent changes in my lifestyle. Although I started with Angry as The Sea some ten years ago, I cannot read Mr. Smith's novels quickly enough. Each thought or phrase summons me into it's very existance. My only regret is that memory will not allow me the pleasure of re-visiting Mr. Smith's adventures.

This book is, beleive it or not, right on par with Smith's other breathtaking adventures like Birds of Prey, Monsoon, Blue Horizon, Seventh Scroll etc. Only River God can be considered better (and even that is close). None of the books in the Courtneys of Africa series or the others in the Ballantyne series can even come close to this book. A truely marvellous adventure yarn and one of the overlooked gems in the entire genre, A Falcon Flies is a masterpeice which, if had been published after Smith became internatioanlly famous (that is, after River God), would have done as well as any of Smith's other monster bestsellers.

I must say as a fan of Wilbur Smith, this book captures anyone's imagination from the first page to the last and it leaves you wanting to start on the next one in the series. As an African and Zimbabwean in which most of this story takes place I am left with no option but to salute Mr. Smith. He is a briliant researcher and an accurate writer of our historical stories even though he calls them fiction. Some of the facts are so true that you really feel you're in that age. He gives vivid descriptions of the Ndebele state as if he was there during that time. I have no problem rating it 5 out of 5!!!

Wilbur Smith is my favorite author, and "A Falcon Flies" is one of his best. You are introduced to the Ballentyne's, Maj. Zouga Ballentyne and his sister, Dr. Robin Ballentyne as they search Africa for their missing father, the famous missonary and anti-slavery cruscader Fuller Ballentyne and have the bad luck to travel to Africa on board the ship of Mungo St.John, who it turns out, is a infamous slave trader himself...With that breathless start, you would expect action and lots of it, and you won't be disappointed. Duels, attack by slave traders on the Ballentyne safari, and ship to ship battles with thundering broadsides are but some of what is in store for the reader. Smith has never been afraid to write a strong woman character, and Robin Ballentyne certainly qualifes, coming close to unsympathic, being saved mainly by her constant concern for human life, never hestiating to place her own in jepoardy to help the ill or injured, but always sure of being right and never hestiating to say so. Neither is Zouga perfect, being more concerned with making the expedition profitable,from gold and ivory, than finding his father.All of Wilbur Smith's books are of the "keep you up late reading it" variety but "Falcon" is ones of his best, which makes it one of THE best, period.....

I love to cook and this is my absolute favorite cookbook! The food is amazing. I've given this cookbook as a gift many times.

I have been extremely pleased with this cookbook. The recipes are not complicated and can be served for a weeknight dinner or a special occassion. Would love for the Birmingham JL to release another edition!

You must buy this book and make the Gourmet Cheese Grits!! They are out of this world. This book is a must for entertaining recipes!!!

My husband and I cook a LOT and this is, by far, our favorite cookbook. Each and every recipe is simply delicious. You can prepare a fantastic meal without being a culinary graduate. Everything is well laid out and -- again -- DELICIOUS. I am so confident in this book that I will try new recipes from it on company. Buy it NOW!

This is one of the best cookbooks we own. The recipes are easy to follow and execute. There are a number of new ways to cook old dishes. Not one recipe has been a clunker. This cookbook gets used more than any other around our house. We have enjoyed preparing the recipes and tasting the wonderful results.
This is a cookbook worth having whether you have only a few cookbooks or a few rooms of cookbooks.

This was a very helpful book - straightforward and practical ideas for plantings around my house & yard. It included planting layout diagrams, plant list and sketches of what things might look like during different seasons.

A big problem I've had with gardening books is that they so often cover areas with different climates (such as the wet Pacific Northwest) than that which I have to face here in the American Midwest. This book, however, has shown itself to be an excellent resource!

It starts out with a portfolio of 23 designs, giving the reader excellent advice on appearance and what plants to use, complete with color pictures, and a sample graph paper design. After that, it has step-by-step instructions (again with great color illustrations) on building projects, such as sidewalks, walls, patios and so much more. The final part of the book is a series of plant profiles that looks at garden plants and their needs.

So, just to make everything perfectly clear, I loved this book, and highly recommend it to every gardener in the American Midwest!

This book is a tremendous resource for landscaping in the midwest. It provides great ideas for landscaping for different seasons, conditions, and locations. Most of the recommended varieties of plants are easy to find at your local nursery which has always been a problem with other books I have used. The pictures and drawings really provide extreme value when trying to picture how plants will look together. It has already given me enumerous great ideas and suggestions.

This book is a good source for midwest-specific plantings and landscape ideas. I found I didn't have to look up the growing zones of plants I found interesting, wondering "Would this plant grow well around here?"

I also enjoy the overall friendly tone of the text. Some other books of this type that I own are written in a stuffy, almost highbrow manner.

The only thing I would have liked to have seen more of in this book is more actual photographs of the landscapes. There are many photos of the featured plants, but the book relies heavily on artwork for the landscape design images.

Excellent ideas and designs with excellent plant choices. Great for the beginner or designer to create updated and hardy garden designs that put on a show throughout the seasons.I am a designer and love books, this is once of the easiest to understand and carry out.

If Nights Could Talk is a good memoir. Marsha Recknagel describes her past and present with honesty and humor.

I could not put this book down. Not only does the story keep you on the edge of your seat, but the author tells it with such grace and eloquence.

I respect the opinion of the reviewer who said that Recknagel's book was not his or her "cup of tea," but I don't understand how one could criticize Recknagel for belaboring her own suffering. This book is a brilliant and poignant account of one woman's struggle to create/recreate a family, and the suffering that she endures while accomplishing this anchor the memoir in reality. I felt, contrary to the other reviewer, that Recknagel was amazingly self-aware of her own insecurties, vulnerabilties, and subjectivity. Would the story have been better if Recknagel left out the gritty and painful details? Surely not. There's a reason why this book has been as highly recommended as it has: it presents a realistic struggle-- with all of its complications.

I found the book captivating. I know the courage Marsha must have to write these Memoirs. I am so proud to have known the little girl and now the adult woman. Her sister Gail should be praised for rescuing Jamie.I could not close the book until the last page.
I ran the full spectrum of emotions-- loved the book. The telling of the story carries you forward with the need to know more. I hated for the story to end. I am so proud of you Marsha......And Gail, she knows why.

I had the wonderful pleasure of having Marsha for my creative writing instructor several semesters ago when she first sent this book off for publishing. I have been in great anticipation of it since then and it did not let me down! Having known Marsha personally and some of her story, her word was every bit as moving and powerful in her written accounts and packs even more of a punch at her readings of this book. A tearjerker for sure, it will inspire you to read to the last page when at last you sigh and have to put it down, ready to rest.