Connecticut Books

This is a fascinating book. Worthen was still an undergraduate at Yale when she began it, and she brings both the idealism of youth and a mature writing style to the page. Besides being a fly on the wall at some of the most important foreign policy events of the 20th century, the reader also gets an inside view of one of Yale University's most elite communities -- the Grand Strategy program, which trains future leaders in the art of statecraft. Followers of contemporary political events will be particularly interested, since two of the Grand Strategy professors -- John Lewis Gaddis and Charles Hill -- have close contacts with, and regularly advise the Bush Administration. This is no tawdry expose of secret societies (a la Secrets of the Tomb), but an insightful look into how an experienced diplomat mentors some of the most accomplished students in our country. It also is a moving coming of age story, as Worthen learns that her mentor is as flawed and human as the famous leaders he counseled.

I'm sorry but I've read this book twice now and I don't know when I've had a more amateur read. I'm with Publishers Weekly on this one, this author is smart and clever and in love with her own voice but she's not a natural writer, and her apparent infatuation with Professor Hill gets tiresome after only twenty-five pages. I can imagine that students who went to Yale and took courses with Hill might enjoy reading about him. Will anyone else? His family, perhaps. To the rest of us, even after Worthen's comprehensive look at his career, he seems like a nobody who somehow wound up at the top echelons of a corrupt government and now runs pretentious power courses from a cushy academic post. Worthen gives us a charming picture of campus life at New Haven, and how a lottery system insures everyone an equal shot at studying with Professor Hill.

I got the impression also that Hill was flirting with Worthen continuously, but that his passion for Norma was making him "walk the line" as Johnny Cash used to say. Hill certainly seems unabashed by Worthen's curiosity about his romantic and sex life, even urging her on to ask him some unseemly questions even Bill Clinton might have balked at, though I didn't catch if he wears boxers or briefs.

The revelations about Iran/Contra are minor ones, and debatable. I hate to break it to you, Molly Worthen, but your emperor has no clothes.

The Grand Strategy course he teaches, she notes breathlessly, culminates in a "Crisis Simulation" day in which students are thrown into an imaginary crisis like an outbreak of Ebola or Muslim terrorists occupying the Senate chambers. It's like a Universal Studios tour ride putting you, the tourist, into Jack Bauer's shoes on "24." And out of such theme parks our foreign policy is born.

For a wonderful read about a man I know, but thank you even more for articulating the hugh problem at the heart of academia today -- political correctness that has left a whole generation of students with a disfunctional inner compass. Thank God Charlie Hill decided to teach at Yale after he left the Foreign Service!
Francie Bremer

This biography is the first I've read of a man I've had the privilege to know. It's also the first review on Amazon I've felt compelled to write. I applaud Worthen's ability to peg Charlie Hill. Her characterizations are 100% in my experience of man who has lived a compelling life. I recommend this book to all students of foreign policy.

Yes, you can marvel at the fact that a professor buys coffee at Starbucks. I feel sorry for those who've forgotten that.

Charles Hill is the consumate man behind the curtain - Worthen writes a bio worthy of close examination - her writing is just lovely and shows her wisdom. - Great job.

i read the Moffat series books when i was young.. many years ago.. i still remember the wonderful stories 40 years later.. to not read these wonderful stories would deprive any child of wondrous times of hardship and amazement by a sweet, kind, brave girl.. if you have a child.. or children.. if you love to read and haven't found these books yet.. find them.. read them.. for yourself.. to your child.. or let them read them to you..

oh one more thing.. i'm a man.. and still i found these books spectacular.. these are not stories of just a little girl.. they are stories of those times.. of war and people.. my favorite, the money under the ice and the coal.. i now have 2 daughters who have read them as well.. and they loved them..

The mysterious middle moffat is not mysterious. That's the fun it and the humor. The middle moffat is even better than the first book! The sequil! how rare is that? The middle moffat is an excellent book for everyone of all ages. Janie is just too much fun, she is the most excellent of all the moffats.

I'm only rating it four stars, but I really did enjoy it. Jane, the "middle moffat" is trying to do everything. She makes friends with a 99 year old neighbor, while at the same time trying to do everything to help him live to a 100. She helps her little brother Rufus at Christmas. While everyone's asleep, she climbs downstairs...

Anyway, I really liked this book, and I think kid's UNDER nine would enjoy it too.

Okay, you know your average family, right? Well The Moffat's are anything but ordinary! I mean sure they have two sisters, two brothers, and a widowed mom. But do normal families have 10 year olds who are friends with 99 year olds? I think not, besides the fact of being a little weird, The Middle Moffat is a perfectly written book. The Middle Moffat is an excellent book by Eleanor Estes. Wonderful, adorable art for kids, that you will enjoy, drawn by Louis Slobodkin, The Middle Moffat is 234 pages packed of laughs and touching moments. The Middle Moffat won Horn Book Award and Newbery Honor Award. Some other books written by Eleanor Estes are: Alley, Ginger pye, Pinky pye, Hundred Dresses, The Moffats, Moffat Museum, Rufus M., Tunnel of Hugsey Goode, and The Witch Family. Most of these books have received awards such as ALA, Library Journal, NY book review, Newbery Honor, Publisher Weekly, and Horn book award. I loved reading about the adventures of Janey Moffat, in The Middle Moffat. I highly recommend you read it. Janey has kooky adventures in boring Cranbury CT. Janey will be remembered forever.
In Janey's first adventure she puts on an Organ Recital. Most of the people in Cranbury come; of course there is a twist. Then you can't forget when Janey spends a day with Mr. Buckle, or when she meets Nancy, her best friend. Along the way Wallie Bangs, a mechanical wizard moves in next door. But what did he do with her skates? Or the best adventure and heart warming of all, Christmas Eve, all Rufus wants is a pony! Rufus might not get what he wants, what'll Janey do this time to help her brother. Once Janey fixed Christmas she joins a play, the three little bears. But no, her head is gone! Nancy and Jane then set off for the eclipse in Cranbury. Guess who they meet he's furry too! "I'm no good..." sighed Janey. HA! Yeah right, Janey takes up Basketball and see what she does for the team. It can't be Janey and Nancy not friends! Nancy feels bad about hurting Janey and gives her a ring, ahhh friends again. And Janey can't soon be forgotten on Mr. Buckle's birthday, what a sweet gift she bought him.
Reading The Middle Moffat was like a chocolate cake baked to perfection, every layer of frosting perfectly smoothed on creamy and whipped. YUM! Go ahead and read up. Eleanor Estes adds humor to every page! I love reading this book, the characters are so fun! For instance in parts she used words a four year old would like ignoramus. Estes uses incredible wording only a kid would understand and an adult would laugh at. Like in a part Janey [Estes] thinks you save daylight in a box. Or when she waited up all night for Santa to come. Of course I can't stop laughing when she convinces the all the neighbor hood kids to run into Wallie Bang's basement and steal their stuff back.
I love the plot of this book too! I like how Janey is always trying to be mysterious. Or when Janey won the basketball game and her wish came true. Or when Nancy gave Jane her friendship ring I couldn't help but smile. I think the best part though is when she gave Mr. Buckle his birthday present. Throughout all the chapters of Janey's adventures each one making me smile. I think this book is well dissevering of all the awards it won. Eleanor Estes has the most creative, spunky, humorous, lovable, and fun way of writing.
Overall as you can tell I loved reading this book. There aren't enough hours in the day for me to say how much I like it, but I can try. If you read the book for your self you will understand the way Eleanor Estes writing flows and makes you want more. After each sentence you are begging to read a little more just to widen that smile. All her sentences just flow into one another making it so you can read for hours. I loved the way she wrote about a ten year old. Janey is just too young to understand what people mean. She has her own ideas about the way the world think and I think a lot of us can understand and relate to that. I recommend this to anyone who needs a good laugh and need to lighten up. Or someone who has just come home and has had a horrible day. I can guarantee that if kids or adults read this they will laugh, cry, and smile with Janey.

I read this book to my three boys ages 9,6 and 3 and they could not stop laughing. Jane's imagination and simple ways of viewing life around her really capture what it is like to be a kid. We had to stop several times so that they could act out certain parts. I think Jane is a friend that we all would like to have. She's beyond nice and there is never a dull moment when she is around (whether it's in her mind or really happening). Now that we have read the book we really miss Jane.

I must say that I particularly enjoyed the review of the Fla. resident. I am a 23 year resident of this town that Brenda C
ullerton describes. I only wish I had known her, AND her family! The "McMansions", now an everday word here, are ridiculous! She saw it with the building of one behind her own home!!
But the most compelling thing about the book is the waste,of human lives!! These people were disfunctional, no doubt about it!And probably would be charged with "child endangerment" today. But the love that the author shows for her mother and father, NO MATTER THEIR QUIRKS, and her inability to express that love, makes a true study in the nature of human beings!Sometimes, we lose what we choose to. She chose to make it front and center in this book! I can't say that I agree with all the author did, nor her family!! Some people will go "AGHG"! But as a resident of this town for some time, it sure is nice to see the veneer crack, and people weren't so perfect I truly loved when she described her mother gardening in her black bra and baggy panties!! And her mother going to town in the pink foam rollers!!That would be a REAL NO- NO today! This is a town of "Stepford Wives"! Would THEY go to town in pink foam rollers and snap-it beads?? Thanks, Brenda, for bringing a little "real" back to Ridgefield!!!

It's a crime that Brenda Cullerton isn't writing novels, because her style (reflecting years as a professional writer) is powerful and distinctive. So is her story of her upbringing by a pair of eccentrics protected by their talent and family wealth from any need to face reality. Cullerton, having escaped her parents after college, bravely decides to wade back in and come to grips with them in their declining years (which are every bit as colorful and maddening as their mid-life crises). I found her unvarnished account of her relationship with them enormously heartening. With the support of her husband, she got as close to them as she could and came away with some peace of mind--and a great book.

"As mother taught me, life was a stage - a real stage, with no metaphor intended - and everyone on it but us was an extra."
(-The Nearly Departed: Or, My Family & Other Foreigners)

Far from prosaic and most definitely diverting, Brenda Cullerton's unabashedly candid memoir "The Nearly Departed: Or, My Family & Other Foreigners" is a refreshing departure from the autobiographical norm. Dancing between dark humour, stinging wit and poignant life realities, the author's recollections of her wildly outlandish family are often more bitter than sweet. To be sure, the collective confessions from the `Cullerton Family Crypt' will have you sobbing, guffawing, sighing, and feeling strangely schizophrenic - all in one chapter.

The truth is, Brenda Cullerton's family would raise anyone's eyebrow. At the forefront of these eccentric anecdotes are her parents - a social misfit mother who gardened in baggy black undies, lavish jewelry coupled with pop-it beads, and her hair bedecked in curlers; and an alcoholic father who was usually found anywhere but home, and amassed a hidden fortune as traveling businessman in the shoe trade (only to later hide his cash in their dilapidated barn, stuffed in the toes of moldy footwear).

Now in their winter years, Brenda Cullerton's parents - suffering from ill health - evoke her return to this alien landscape called "home". As the author painstakingly sifts through piles of family memories encountered along the way, not only does she learn more about these virtual "foreigners" who are family, but ultimately discovers herself and the all reasons for her insatiable desire to escape the past.

Artfully and intelligently captured on paper, it is Cullerton's ingenuous journey through introspection which makes "The Nearly Departed" quite nearly flawless.

Far from prosaic and most definitely diverting, Brenda Cullerton's unabashedly candid memoir "The Nearly Departed: Or, My Family & Other Foreigners" is a refreshing departure from the autobiographical norm. Dancing between dark humour, stinging wit and poignant life realities, the author's recollections of her wildly outlandish family are often more bitter than sweet. To be sure, the collective confessions from the `Cullerton Family Crypt' will have you sobbing, guffawing, sighing, and feeling strangely schizophrenic - all in one chapter.

The truth is, Brenda Cullerton's family would raise anyone's eyebrow. At the forefront of these eccentric anecdotes are her parents - a social misfit mother who gardened in baggy black undies, lavish jewelry coupled with pop-it beads, and her hair bedecked in curlers; and an alcoholic father who was usually found anywhere but home, and amassed a hidden fortune as traveling businessman in the shoe trade (only to later hide his cash in their dilapidated barn, stuffed in the toes of moldy footwear).

Now in their winter years, Brenda Cullerton's parents - suffering from ill health - evoke her return to this alien landscape called "home". As the author painstakingly sifts through piles of family memories encountered along the way, not only does she learn more about these virtual "foreigners" who are family, but ultimately discovers herself and the all reasons for her insatiable desire to escape the past.

Artfully and intelligently captured on paper, it is Cullerton's ingenuous journey through introspection which makes "The Nearly Departed" quite nearly flawless.

I read a review of "The Nearly Departed" in the Ridgefield Press, which I still have delivered to my new address in another state. The review had me laughing so hard, I decided that I simply had to get this book. Having spent 23 years in Ridgefield, CT was a plus as I could picture so many scenes as described and these are NOT things one would see in Ridgefield! Perhaps one would see people going down a Main Street in pink foam curlers elsewhere, but certainly not there. Now that that is in perspective, Brenda Cullerton has a wit that will get you laughing out loud, but the book is so much deeper than one might first think. I realize that the average family is dysfunctional to a degree. Unfortunately for Brenda, her family seemed to encompass every dysfunctional element known to man! Hopefully in writing this book, she was able to come to terms with issues in her life; I know that in reading it, she helped me to both understand and come to terms with some things in mine. Thank you Brenda, for both a terrific laugh and a learning experience.

This was an enjoyable read and I learned a lot about New Haven from its founding to the present day. Well worth the read!

Having grown up in New Haven before I moved to N.Y.C. in my twenties, I enjoyed reading "New Haven: From Puritanism to the Age of Terrorism". I learned more about the city of my birth and experienced moments of nostalgia. A delightful read and there are many wonderful illustrations, including photographs of Union soldiers on the Green during the Civil War, the demolition of the State House after New Haven ceased to be the co-capital of Connecticut, the Hindenburg flying over New Haven the day before it burst into flames in N.J., JFK visiting New Haven, and the May Day protest of 1970...

"New Haven: From Puritanism to the Age of Terrorism" is a general history of New Haven and covers the years from the founding of the colony by puritan settlers and the natives who inhabited the region to the present age. Sletcher covers 400 years of history and includes many details and events related to the development of the Elm City. As a small colony town in the New World, New Haven eventually became one of the most prosperous cities in the United States during the nineteenth and part of the twentieth century. In the last two chapters, Sletcher explains the decline of the city (i.e. industrial and middle class migration to the suburbs), recent attempts at revival (i.e. Dick Lee's renewal program in the 1950s and 60s) and ends with a epilogue of the problems now facing the city after 9/11. This is a book worth reading for anyone interested in the history of New Haven or Connecticut. One area where Sletcher could have provided more information was the historical relationship of Yale and New Haven -- the important role of the university in relation to the prosperity and later decline of the city. Yale is mentioned intermittently, but a more detailed account of town-gown relations in the first half of the twentieth century would have made the book more enjoyable as a whole.

Because of this lacuna, it is surprising to read from "New Haven Native" (below) that he thought the author had placed too much emphasis on Yale. "New Haven Native" also writes that the important role of gun manufacturing was all but ignored, but from my reading of the book gun manufacturing and the significant role it played in the city is mentioned repeatedly in the book, beginning with Eli Whitney and his gun-manufacturing plant on the Hamden-New Haven border to the closing of Winchester and other plants after WWII (pp. 43-5, 105, 106, 117, 123-4). The Franklin Street Fire of 1957, which killed 15 garment workers and which "New Haven Native" believes changed the city forever, was by no means a defining moment in New Haven's history. A Google search of the event produces 3 brief references to the fire. The tragedy nonetheless is an important part of social history, but this is largely because it reveals the poor working conditions of New Haven women, which is discussed in the book (pp.111-12), along with other issues related to New Haven women (pp.43, 49, 104, 107, 111-12, 117, 123, 126) and the emergence of the New Haven Fire Dept. (pp. 47), etc. Such an assertion about the significance of this particular fire is astounding and begs the question of whether the author should have included every fire in New Haven from colonial times? He does discuss the fires and looting in the black riots of 1967 (p. 134), but that was an event that changed New Haven forever; it was a defining moment that smashed New Haven's image as "the model city." It also marked the end to Mayor Lee's urban renewal efforts. Considering the number of tragic fires each year in the city of New Haven, there might be another book for someone to write -- "New Haven Fires."

From the disparagements of "New Haven Native," it is not clear if he actually read the book or has an axe to grind with the author or Yale University. What is clear, however, is that he did not read the favorable review of the book in the New Haven Advocate (12/30/04) by Stephen Lassonde, a professional historian who specializes in the history of New Haven: Sletcher's book, as Lassonde concludes the review, "offers a concise, sweeping narrative that often brings long-forgotten, mundane and overly familiar landmarks of the city's past alive with meaning." Consequently, it is apparent to me that "New Haven Native," a self-proclaimed "amateur historian," is an amateur, but no historian; belligerent, but no critic.

The Author, a Yale Historian, fell into the trap of confusing New Haven's History with Yale's History. He highlighted the role of the University much more than an objective account called for. A New Haven Native and amateur Historian I was chagrined to find incomplete or otherwise flawed discriptions of events I lived through. There were a variety of petty errors that cast doubt upon how well this book was researched or proofread. For example, the reference to "Giant Shirt Co." should have read Gant Shirt Company. The significant role of Firearms manufacturing in and near New Haven, was all but ignored (Winchesters, Marlins, Mossburgs, Dardrick, High Standard) was not adequatly explored. Events that changed New Haven forever again were not enumerated as one might expect i.e. The Franklin Street Fire. This book will go to the first charitable book sale. It has not earned a place on my reference shelf.

The author explains complex issues about New Haven's early history using simple language and makes the subject interesting. He covers many aspects of the city's history, including slavery and the rise of industrial prosperity and its eventual decline. It is a general yet comprehensive history covering political, economic, social, religious, and cultural developments of the city and provides close to 60 historical illustrations (drawings, paintings, maps, and photographs) as a supplement to the narrative. Furthermore, it is not simply a history of New Haven, but also of Connecticut, New England, and the United States as well as Britain during the colonial period. An excellent book for anyone interested in American history or history in general.

I first encountered the Rufus M. story in grade school, when we read the part about Rufus knitting washcloths for soldiers, and making friends with Al.

Knitting washcloths? Who does such a thing? Now I know. Because the subject keeps coming up - in World War I history, World War II, and now it's a popular pastime for knitters. And every time I see a knitted washcloth, I think of Rufus M. Any story that sticks with you for so long has to be a good one.

This is a very good book because it is also placed around the time of WWII. It is about one person and it is not an `I' book, meaning it is not written in first person. Rufus M. is special because he has many odd friends including a cardboard boy, a soldier named Al and a flying horse named Jimmy. Only Al is real (meaning alive). Rufus M. is part of the Moffat family. I have read about the Moffat family previously in another book called The Moffat Museum. In this book, they have already moved from their original little yellow house to Cranberry. Rufus M. tried to be a ventriloquist and a wizard. I think it is very funny when he tried to perform a knife trick by using a rubber knife to plunge into himself!

"Rufus M." was a really incredible book about the smallest Moffat child, as we know as Rufus. I thought it was really interesting when you see how Eleanor Estes really pulls you into the life of an average 7-year-old boy going through life in thick and thin times. It really shows you the struggles of an energetic young boy growing in different ways that explain how he thinks and feels. I liked how Eleanor Estes focused on this one adventurous little Moffat unlike how in the "Moffats" she introduces the incredibly fascinating family. What also made me so hooked on to this book was the creative adventures the writer cooked up for Rufus to live in this book. She made it feel like Rufus was right there sharing all his emotions, expressions, and feelings all to the reader. This book was exciting and fun and no matter what any one has ever read they will look back at one particular book and this one and say that this book definitely showed them a whole new world as when the other book could never even shoed them an imagination as big as a tiny pond rock.

I liked "Rufus M." a lot it was probably the most adventurous books I have ever read. In a way that Eleanor Estes compares this book to her "The Moffats" book you can tell that Rufus Moffat is a completely different 7-year-old boy you would've thought he would be compared to athis book all about him and "The Moffats" which introduces our lively and fascinating family to begin with. I thought this book really made me so buried into it's pages because of the way the writer took the time to create more and more adventurous tale for Rufus to live through and be a part of. It really made this book something special. But I'd have to say his adventures would take you through some times that you would just not believe! One thing for sure, you would say his characteristics drive him into the pit of emotions and feeling.

The story Rufus M. by Eleanor Estes is about a kid named Rufus Moffat. Rufus has some trouble sometimes, but he practices until he gets it right. Rufus writes his name like this: Rufus M. Sometimes Rufus gets trapped, but he finds his way out. Sometimes Rufus can get rough. Rufus M. is also clever. He also makes up imaginary friends. One time he makes up the invisible piano player. Rufus is almost unbeatable.

Rufus acts like a seven year old. That's why I think he's a seven year old. Rufus writes his name sloppy at first. Then he practices and practices and he gets better and better. He gets better at doing tasks that use to be hard. Rufus is a great kid, unlike any other (no offense). This is the story how Rufus became unbeatable.

The characters are Rufus, Sylvie, Jane, and Joe. Rufus has messy hair, he is seven, and he is rough. Sylvie is nice. She is also clever, and she is about nine. Janie is a girl who is clever, but not exactly as clever as Sylvie. She has a crush on a friend of hers. She is eight years old. Joey is Rufus's brother and he is nine years old. He likes to play with Rufus and he is rough like Rufus. I believe in the chacracters of the story and I am interested to find more about them. I can picture the individuals in my mind. They get on with one another by playing with each other. I like Rufus best because he is funny.

The author is a good writer. She uses words like "urge" and "dozing." Her writing would make me imagine the story even if there were no pictures. The author treats me like a big kid. It is like it is written by an expert. I think the book is great. The cover also looks great. It makes me want to read the book right away. It urges me to talk about it to my friends. The pictures are interesting and they make the story better. The printing is pretty small, but the words are easy to read.

The book is great in my opinion. I would suggest boys ages seven to nine and girls eight to eleven would enjoy it. I give this book five stars.

I loved the book. It's a great mystery, with colorful characters. I love the whole series. It's also a fun book, and it's not full of dark or gruesome scenes like some murder mysteries. I would recommend to anybody who likes mysteries.

Combining great detail of the dog fancy with a mystery which keeps you turning the pages into the wee hours of the night, WATCHDOG again shows that Ms Berenson is the best in the class of dog-mystery writers.

What a great book! This is one of the best dog mysteries out there. The characters are incredibly real (I think I saw Melanie and her son in Central Park the other day.... hm...) and the pacing was wonderful. It was a book you couldn't put down. And even though I'm not really into the Sam-Melanie thing, I was excited to see them become a little more committed! My only qualm would be to give Faith a little more of a pronounced personality to really make her come alive. Other than that, I can't stress the greatness of this series!!

Loved reading this one before bed. More twists and turns than usual and her characters have become like real people to me. Love the referrals to dog shows and training,grooming, etc.since I got my Standard Poodle. Even if I don't ever end up showing her, I can dream...

Funny how we don't hear much from Melanie Travis's brother Frank in her previous mystery adventures. We know he exists, and we've seen him a few times during family get-togethers; all the same, I'm sure Melanie prefers not to have him around, for when he is he's either raiding her refrigerator or asking for money. In Watchdog, Frank is asking for much more: he wants his sister to help clear his name when a business associate is murdered.

Frank's latest big venture in a string of failed jobs and prospects is a coffee bar in a nearby Connecticut township. Locals are protesting the business, and one would that was the worst of Frank's worries. Then his financial backer turns up dead on the construction site, and Melanie -- whose hands are full with dog shows, a new job, and a marriage proposal (finally!) from Sam -- must come to the rescue.

Berenson is always a delight to read, with fun characters and lessons in dog grooming. Watchdog is no exception; watch out for this one and for Melanie's future exploits.

OK, I admit it. I read "We Wish You a Merry Murder" first. This was the third of the Susan and Kathleen books I read. Loved "Merry Murder" and pretty much hated "40th Birthday Body." This one, however, is a keeper. Both the cops and the suburban housewife who helps them solve the murders here confront their prejudices about the way the "other half" lives, be that rich vs. poor, or married vs. single. Susan is not just another frivolous dilettante wealthy stay-at-home mom. She's a good friend with great sensitivity. This one doesn't have the laugh-out-loud funny moments of "Merry Murder," but it's good nonetheless. Like the other reviewer, I was VERY disappointed in the "Menu for Murder" TV movie based on this book. They butchered it. All of Valerie Wolzien's books would make good Sunday night TV movies or Lifetime TV fare--but only if they stick to the book more faithfully. I love these characters, and what you see here is just the start of a fun series with people you don't mind visiting again. After this one, just skip "40th Birthday Body" and take the rest of the books in order, and things will unfold without missing a beat.

I have read several of the books in this series and wonder how I could have missed this one. Susan Henshaw is a suburban housewife heavily involved in the local PTA. At the annual PTA luncheon, one of the committee members dies after eating a sandwich laced with cyanide. Several weeks later, another committee member is also killed with cyanide, this time in a beverage. Susan is nearby in both instances. The CT State Police are called in to assist the locals and they enlist her help in solving the murder. You never know what lurks beneath the surface of the upscale suburban community.

This is a wonderful start to the series. No one is what they seem, and everyone appears to have a secret. Athough in retrospect, the author gives clues, the murderer came as a surprise to me. Great Book!!!!

Susan Henshaw is just as puzzled as the police are when two of her co-workers on the school PTA are poisoned within a short time. She works with a police investigator who thinks that her powers of observation and deduction will be a help to him. As Susan and the police delve into the lives of the PTA families in their wealthy Connecticut neighborhood, they uncover possibilities of adultery and drug abuse. It isn't until the end that they put together the clues and finally come up with the murderer. The motive is pretty thin, but still this book is a fun read and is the beginning of a long-running series.

In the 1st book in the Susan Henshaw Mystery series, we are introduced to the members of the local Parent Teacher Association (PTA) in the affluent town of Hancock, Connecticut. Serving on the committee each year, the wealthy suburban mothers raise money for their children's educations, and help to ensure that the quality of the education stays exceptional. When two members of the local PTA drop dead a couple of months apart, Susan Henshaw, the PTA vice-president, is approached by two state detectives to aid in their investigation. Susan is surprised by their interest in her, until she figures out that she tops the list of suspects in the case. Giving background information on her friends and fellow PTA members isn't that difficult for Susan, but she struggles with having to give up some of the "juicier" bits of gossip from the tight knit group. As the police begin to investigate, they learn that everyone has a secret in this seemingly perfect community, and they must work quickly to discover a murderer before the list of victims grows again.

I enjoy domestic cozies, and was excited to find a new series to try in the genre. I liked the book enough to read more in the series, but was a little disappointed that the majority of the book focused on the police investigation, and the questioning of suspects. There was a lot of focus on the police, and I would have liked to learn more about the life of the main character, Susan Henshaw. However, there is a lot of promise to this long-running series, and I enjoyed the interesting characters and their relationships in this setting.

If you enjoy domestic cozies such as the Jane Jeffry series by Jill Churchill or the Lucy Stone series by Leslie Meier, give this series a try.

The next book in the series is called "Fortieth Birthday Body". Enjoy!

In this, the first of the Susan Henshaw novels, Valerie Wolzien introduces the reader to a clever, quick-thinking suburban housewife. That may not sound like a winner, but IT IS! Susan is a fantastic character, with depth and real emotions, combined with a talent for detection. She isn't snooty at all, and anyone could relate to her and her family. Wolzien's book is smart, funny, easy to read and a great look into the PTA --where petty jealousies and murder lurk. A must read! Note: the books can be read out of sequence, but starting with #1 is best!

Mark Twain was a superb observer and chronicler of Americana. "What is Man" is a compilation of his later writings, and these essays still have meaning today. Because they tend to be reflective, they provide an insight into Mark Twain himself. Thoroughly enjoyable.

This book is not for everyone. If you believe what is happiness,
and you're happy w/ your life w/ no dought, skip this book.
If you doubt everything including your feelings (especially
happiness and satisfaction), then this book provides some idea
to fill up the hole (at least partially).

There is a book by the same author called "the Misterious Stranger" which is much easier to read. It's enjoyable. So I
recommend you guys to try out the misterious stranger first.
Then, if you like the story, and you'd like to know more
about the philosophy behind it, read this one

Mark Twain has a knack for explaining reality without any of its grand notions. That's why I love this book. It's a bible that you can read in one sitting and reveals why people act as they do. Unlike the other reviewer, I know you can be a happy person before reading this book and come out the other end a happy person.

Do you wonder where your thoughts originate? Do you wonder what motivates your, or why you act or react to different situations, or just everyday life? Mark Twain, in the characters of the old man and the young man, present arguments that can change you way of looking at living. It is a must read book, that will cause you to pause...everytime a thought comes to mind and everytime you react to any situation. You will wonder who it really belongs to......take a new look into your own mind. See people from a new perspective..it is amazing.

After having read the first few pages of What Is Man? I knew that I would not be able to let it go just like that. In the form of a dialogue Mark Twain raises a bunch of questions about Mankind and the way the mind works. And without revealing too much I can safely say that these are not regular everyday questions!

Whether or not one finds the questions and ideas raised in the book outrageous or greatly revolutionary, one will still be able to get many hours of reading satisfaction out of it. With his usual wit, Twain has created a beautiful dialogue that in many ways can be compared to that in Plato's The Republic. And I would be amazed if this book doesn't put your brain to work. In my case I spend hours, days and even weeks discussing the book with friends and family. I simply wanted to get other people's conceptions and opinions of the ideas raised.

What Is Man? is not just a great piece of art. It is a somewhat behaviouristic philosophy and a way of looking at Mankind. In my opinion a must in every personal library. In my own case I'll need it as an e-book on my laptop for when I'm on the road and as hard back on the book shelve when I'm sitting in my easy chair relaxing after a long day.

ugh... soupy, formulaic. A standard romance novel dressed up like a mystery. I certainly expected more given the other reviews.

After million dollar baby I could have written the outline, and especially outcomes, of this one in minutes.

After reading "Million Dollar Baby" by Amy Patricia Meade, I thought it just can't get any better than this. Now after reading her second novel, "Ghost of Chance", it has!!!!! I just hope that there will be a third book in the very near future. Bravo to you, Ms Meade!!!!

As a reader who thoroughly enjoyed Meade's first offerring, Million Dollar Baby, I was eagerly anticipating this latest novel. As many others I wanted not only another great historical mystery, but further expansion the relationships of the three main characters.
Well, I got it...in spades!
The development of Marjorie, Creighton, and Jameson takes these lighthearted combatants in love to human levels that make what was in MDB a flirty, romantic comedy, is now an intense emotional drama. Don't worry the humor and fun is still there but Meade makes her characters real in a modern sense yet retaining all the charm of the classic golden age movie stars.
Meade has set the stage with this novel to take what may have been a fun series with limited plot possiblities and enriched it with a depth of character that bodes well for the future of her series. Combine that with a first-class mystery, plenty of fun, and Marjorie and Creighton's barbed repartee, and you've got a very entertaining second offering from a promising new author. Ms. Meade I am a fan.

In 1935 Ridgebury, Connecticut is holding its annual carnival sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church and one of the big attractions is the Ferris Wheel. When the seat holding the last person on the ride opens the man flops to the ground. At first they think he died of a heart attack but mystery writer and amateur sleuth Miss Marjorie McCelland finds a dart near the wheel. She and her friend, British aristocrat Creighton Ashcroft bring it to the medical examiner. Tests show the man died of curare poisoning and the dart contained blood that matched that of the victim.

Marjorie's fiancée, police detective Robert Jameson informs her that the victim's name is Alfred Nussbaun and his wife Josie identifies the body. She doesn't seem upset and it isn't too long before they find out he was a bigamist with a wife and two children in Boston. They also learn that Josie is also married to someone else and is running a scam to part Alfred from his money with her husband's approval. Suspects abound with motives aplenty but the identity of the killer will shock everyone even a clever mystery writer.

Amy Patricia Meade has written a very charming amateur sleuth and police procedural mystery. The author has a way of creating characters that make them seem like the neighbor next door and even the killer will elicit reader sympathy. The triangle that develops between Creighton, Marjorie and Robert is very well developed and adds an extra dimension to the plot. Romance readers will definitely like this Depression Era regional mystery partly due to state of forensic science and the relationship between Creighton and Marjorie.

Harriet Klausner

I just finished this book and, like the first book, Million Dollar Baby, I inhaled it! I haven't had this much fun since I read the Nancy Drew Mysteries so many years ago. Meade has a gift you don't see much of. She engages you in every aspect of the romance, mystery, and the lives of everyone in Ridgebury, CT. I found myself speaking out loud throughout the entire book. As far as I'm concerned, Meade can't produce these books fast enough for me. I'm sold, hook, line and sinker with the life of Marjorie McClelland!! I would love it if Marjorie McClelland spent a summer on Long Island and just happened upon a body here!!! I can't wait to see the characters continue to develop, and I find myself anxiously awaiting Meade's next "case". Great Book!!

This book is definately the best to come out in a very long time detailing New Haven's past. The pictures are incredible as well.

A classic to be for sure.

I bought the book Italian American Experience in New Haven for my cousin who was born and raised there and is now elderly. As a child I spent many happy days at my Aunt and Uncles home, with my cousin.When the book arrived I flipped through it and found myself enjoying immensely the stories of people I didn't even know, but also finding it brought back many long forgotten memories of my own. I gave it to my cousin and he was so happy to read of and see photos of places that were from his own youth.
My only wish is that more families could have been included----my family lived on 29 Chapel street and I remember the pushcart man with the clams on the half shell and the little bakery at the corner. I would love another book that covers that end of town and includes more stories---maybe a contributory book where all the older Italians could send in their stories and photos to be made into another book.
The book is an escape to a happy, warm, loving, safe time of life. Pure pleasure for any Italian to read because it is like sitting at the kitchen table talking over a cup of coffee.
I highly recommend the book.

Unique format and of personal interest since my family is of Italian descent and we lived in New Haven. The author's interviews bring back many memories of growing up Italian.

Anthony Riccio captures the love , the sorrows, the hardships and the industrial and political life of New Haven in a way that no one before him has. How and why the Italians left the old world of a cruel Italy , an Italy only for the wealthy, is made patently clear in this book. The advantages and opportunities offered by a New America were varied and plentiful. Fortunately the Italian immigrant came here with an important work ethic and a desire for a family life which was rich in expectations and ambitions. Life was not easy for the first generation, but they 'made it' as we say in America. Their children achieved in the 1st 100 years in America what others took generations to do. Anthony allows the storytellers to say things in their own words so that the full flavor of their New Haven experience would be felt and understood by the readers. Anthony Riccio adds his own scholarly touch to the preface and to the beginnings of each and every chapter. The book is both a scholarly and authentic documentary of the Italian people who made a significant contribution to the growth and development of New Haven. They are an inspiration to all of what it takes to be successful . Read the book. If you read nothing else all year, this is the book to read.

The Italian American Experience In New Haven: Images And Oral Histories by Anthony Riccio (Stacks Manager at the Sterling Memorial Library at Yale University) draws upon personal interviews as well as family and archival photographs to present a richly complex and fully realized history of the life and experiences of Italian immigrants who settled in New Haven, Connecticut in the 19th and 20th centuries. Not only is the daily pulse of life in the Italian-American community revealed in the life stories of ordinary men and women, the reader will discover how this immigrant community was affected by such landmark events as the Spanish Flu pandemic, the Great Depression, and World War II. Also revealed are the hardships of Italian immigrant women who labored under terrible (and often hazardous) conditions in New Haven's shirt factories. The integrations of historic photographs with the reported interviews transform The Italian American Experience In New Haven from just another ethnic American history into a compelling social history showcasing a vibrant, vigorous, colorful community. The result is a brilliantly written and highly recommended work that is as entertaining as it is informative.