Resorts Books

I've been going to Long Beach Island for a little over 15 years and so many of the parts of this book made me feel like I was there. Not just the visual descriptions - I could smell it and feel the changes in weather and season. It also introduced me to parts of the place that I don't know about. And to people (characters) who are delightful, interesting, funny and quirky. It reminded me of Cannery Row before I read the same thing someplace else - the characters and the time, a place in transition, people holding on and connecting, but hiding and processing their past. I've given the book as a gift to everyone I know who loves the place or who I wish would love it. Check it out - then go find the other books Mr. Savadove has contributed to and experience the photographer's and the historian's perspective as well.

This is a fabulous book! I just finished reading it cover to cover and I am amazed at the quality of design and how great the photos are! Well worth the money as this Mr Bensley is a true artist. The designs are inspirational and truely maxamilist....minimalisism is boring!

An errie story told through fantastic photographs taken by the author. A story of a young woman who was murdered while incarcerated in a prison . The prison has now become a beautiful country inn with a third floor remaining as a prison without electricity. Tiny drawings on the wall left by the young murdered woman. A must read!

This is a wonderful concept for a book, and helpful indeed for the traveler that has a four-legged companion. A well thought out array of motels and hotels from one end of California to the other that makes travel with your dog easy and accessible. Each hotel is given a rating of paws and prices along with pertinent information necessary to your stay.

The author has also compiled lists of addresses and telephone numbers of veterinary clinics along the way, and tips for traveling with your pet on planes, and ships, as well as by car. There is also a short section on legal requirements. Check into other books by this author there are several similar books for different sections of the country. It's a must have for pet owners who enjoy traveling with there pets. Kelsana 6/01/02

This is a very informative, well-researched book on a fascinating time and place -- Shanghai, China, in the years when it became a temporary home for thousands of exiles and refugees fleeing the Russian Revolution or European fascism.

This is a serious academic study by a social historian more interested in communities and their leaders than in individual destinies, with a focus on the Jewish and Russian diaspora communities. It may not be as vivid or immediate as memoirs by individuals who lived in Shanghai, but there is no lack of adventure, tragedy, espionage, and murder. It is very readable and provides an overview of the complex political and economic situation that individual memoirs do not. It is especially interesting to see the methods used by the Japanese occupation authorities (targeted assassination, collective reprisal) to intimidate, manipulate and control the Russian and Jewish communities.

There are a number of published Shanghai memoirs by Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria. Harriet Sergeant's book ("Shanghai: Collision Point of Cultures") gives a detailed account of British life in the city. But there is surprisingly little published in English about the Russian population of Shanghai at this time, the "White Russians" who fled the newly established Soviet Union. This book begins to fill that gap.

Marcia Ristaino takes an even-handed, fair approach to the people she writes about, highlighting their resilience in difficult circumstances as well as their problems. She has done impressive research, including Chinese, Japanese and Russian sources, archival material, and interviews with former Shanghai residents. Those with a serious interest in the subject will want to read her book.

The author presents an insightful analysis into the closing of Philadelphia's public hospital in 1977. The book presents the historical, political, and unintended consequences of changes in health care systems that led to the demise of the Philadelphia General Hospital. These factors are sharply focused upon and then applied to this particular hospital.

This book serves as a valuable resource even without its pooling its information into one case study. There is an excellent presentation on the history of the Philadelphia health care system from the almshouses of the 18th and 19th centuries through the patronage ridden facilities aimed towards the poor, children, and insane. It was not until the late 19th century and early 20th century when hospitals had professional nursing staffs that also lost the stigma of hospitals existing primarily for poor people. Prior, people who could afford it paid doctors to visit them in their homes and only the poor went to hospitals.

The effects of laws expanding medical care actually had the affect of imperiling public hospitals. Public financial support of private and non-profit hospitals resulted in greater commitments from these hospitals towards providing health care for poorer residents. Thus, the poor not longer needed to rely upon institutions such as Philadelphia General Hospital. Further, a city owned hospital, subject to the political whims of annual budgeting, had difficulty making long term expansions and achieving costly updating of health care services. City officials never took actions that might have qualified Philadelphia General Hospital for similar government funding streams that was being provided to other hospitals. Instead, Philadelphia General Hospital became engulfed in bureaucratic and political struggles. Failures to upgrade health care offerings caused the hospital to fail minimal government standards. A decision to close the hospital along with a promise from city officials that there would be no layoffs of PGH staff concluded a major local political battle.

This is a highly recommended book on the history and politics of hospitals with insights on how one hospital folded.

Kathi McGraw is a native of New Hampshire who has put immaculate research into resort life in 19th and early 20th century New Hampshire, coupled with the sudden advent and acceptance there of the game of golf. But more than just a history of the era, it is a charming, often humorous and erudite collection of anecdotes, newspaper stories, poems and photographs that reflect the mores and attitudes of Victorian times in general, and in the grandeur of New Hampshire's White Mountains in particular.

More than mere history, "Replace The Turf From Whence It Was Hacked" is a showcase for McGraw's subtle wit and literary skill. They shine through to make the book a charmed if not mystical recounting of how Victorian society lived and took its leisure at White Mountain resorts, some of which still exist. It is a story of one of the quainter parts of New England where teas, dance cards and formal calls were the order of the day and are meticulously recorded by McGraw from long departed journals such as "Among The Clouds" or "The White Mountain Echo."

Golf appears to have taken hold in that part of New Hampshire in the late 1890's. The rules and social customs of the game seemed well adapted to Victorian recreation, and McGraw's recounting of the early golf rules and Victorian ladies' affinity for the game is hilarious while nonetheless touching (including an explanation of such Scottish golf terms as "cleek" and "foozle") . Her storytelling ability provides golfers and non-golfers alike an intimate view of another side of the charm of the Victorian era and not simply a tale of how golf came to New Hampshire.

You don't have to be a New Englander nor a golfer to enjoy "Replace The Turf." It is much more than just a local history. It is a tribute to McGraw's prodigious skills as a writer who truly loves her New England roots and can skillfully relate its rich history with humor and charm.

This book proves that this Bram Stoker Award winning author is one of the best writers in the horror fiction genre. The book is filled with slow mounting tension, vivid imagery, and relentless scenes of horror. As with most of this author's works, there is a sexual element running throughout the book. There is also plenty of violence of a nature that may shock the reader. So, it is definitely not for the faint of heart nor for those with delicate sensibilities. It is simply a relentless roller-coaster ride into true horror.

When Lowell Thurman, his wife, and three children decide to go on vacation, they select the Reata, a luxury resort spa located in the remote Arizona desert. By going off-season, the Thurmans are getting what they believe will be a dream vacation at a bargain basement price. What they will get, however, will be a vacation conceived in the bowels of hell. You see, the Reata isn't at all what it purports to be.

When the Thurmans arrive, they are initially impressed with the luxurious resort, but their enthusiasm is quickly curbed by a series of encroaching events that are jarring. They have a number of bizarre encounters with employees and other guests that seem to escalate in terms of unpleasantness. The facilities are also suspect, as they appear to have a strange effect on those using them. Despite the unusual events transpiring around them, the Thurmans find themselves lulled into a false sense of complacency. When they finally wake up and smell the coffee, it is too late, as it is clear that they are not free to leave the Reata.

Once again, the author takes the mundane and slowly builds a gripping tale of horror. The tension is skillfully maintained throughout the book, and fans of the horror genre will be riveted to the graphic and shocking scenes of horror painted by the author. Bacchanalian revels, sexual depravity, and to-the-death gladiator style sports are some of the activities awaiting the Thurmans at the Reata. The only question is whether they will be able to unlock the mystery of the Reata and survive their vacation. Fans of the author and aficionados of the horror genre will really enjoy this book.

This book proves that this Bram Stoker Award winning author is one of the best writers in the horror fiction genre. The book is filled with slow mounting tension, vivid imagery, and relentless scenes of horror. As with most of this author's works, there is a sexual element running throughout the book. There is also plenty of violence of a nature that may shock the reader. So, it is definitely not for the faint of heart nor for those with delicate sensibilities. It is simply a relentless roller-coaster ride into true horror.

When Lowell Thurman, his wife, and three children decide to go on vacation, they select the Reata, a luxury resort spa located in the remote Arizona desert. By going off-season, the Thurmans are getting what they believe will be a dream vacation at a bargain basement price. What they will get, however, will be a vacation conceived in the bowels of hell. You see, the Reata isn't at all what it purports to be.

When the Thurmans arrive, they are initially impressed with the luxurious resort, but their enthusiasm is quickly curbed by a series of encroaching events that are jarring. They have a number of bizarre encounters with employees and other guests that seem to escalate in terms of unpleasantness. The facilities are also suspect, as they appear to have a strange effect on those using them. Despite the unusual events transpiring around them, the Thurmans find themselves lulled into a false sense of complacency. When they finally wake up and smell the coffee, it is too late, as it is clear that they are not free to leave the Reata.

Once again, the author takes the mundane and slowly builds a gripping tale of horror. The tension is skillfully maintained throughout the book, and fans of the horror genre will be riveted to the graphic and shocking scenes of horror painted by the author. Bacchanalian revels, sexual depravity, and to-the-death gladiator style sports are some of the activities awaiting the Thurmans at the Reata. The only question is whether they will be able to unlock the mystery of the Reata and survive their vacation. Fans of the author and aficionados of the horror genre will really enjoy this book.

Reviewed by Rebecka Vigus for Reader Views (4/06)

If you are looking for a book that has a luxury resort, world terrorism, and romance, "The Resort" is the book for you. Dirk Hillstrom, former soccer star, has taken a job at a travel agency. On the morning he decides he needs a vacation, his boss sends him to a new resort to check it out and do some brochure sketches. Unknown to Dirk, Lara Nightingale the lovely resort hostess and singer, has been given orders to be rude and unpleasant to him. This is all part of an experiment to see if customers will overlook rudeness when faced with unimaginable luxury.

While at the resort, Dirk and Lara come to an understanding. Dirk witnesses a murder, is almost murdered himself, and helps to rescue Lara and his boss when they are kidnapped by terrorists. Romance begins to blossom for Dirk and Lara, only to have the death of Lara's brother, and Dirk's desire to return to London get in the way.

The plots twist and turn throughout the book, leaving the reader looking for what will happen next to the heroes. Dirk and Lara separate and we learn how she carries on.

The book is filled with intrigue on a world wide scale. It has all out world war, is filled with medical advancements, and imagines a world without oil. There is never a dull moment as Mr. Ella winds his way through the book.

I would suggest you add this one to your summer reading list. It will keep you on the edge of your seat.