Resorts Books

Becoming Cape Cod is an indispensable book for anyone who loves this Massachusetts vacation community and wishes to know more about its history. O'Connell's book tells the history of Cape Cod's development as a vacation resort and includes a quite a few details about this magical peninsula. He does a good job blending the historical significance of the Cape and some of the pop culture icons of the area. It is written in a factual manner which sometimes makes reading dry, but O'Connell remedies this with an exquisite collections of post cards used to illustrate the book. For those familiar with the Cape, the post card illustrations provide a nostalgic trip back to yesteryear. Humorous antique postcards poke fun at the stereotype of typical Caper Codders. Some of the classic post cards show well known tourist favorites now gone such as Thompson's Clam Bar, Story Land and the Band concerts in Chatham with Whit Tileston, legendary band leader front and center (actually the concerts still continue, though Mr. Tileston is deceased).

This book will be best appreciated by readers who are familiar with Cape Cod. If it is read while listening to the old Patty Page song, we will certainly believe her words are true and fall in love with Old Cape Cod.

I am the author of Becoming Cape Cod: The Creation of a Seaside Resort, which is the first book to tell the history of Cape Cod's development as a vacation mecca. This book traces Cape Cod's resort history from its discovery by Henry David Thoreau before the Civil War to the present day. It is lavishly illustrated with rare historical postcards.

Becoming Cape Cod has three main sections: 1870-1920, on the early years of the resort; 1920-1950, on the impact of the automobile on creating a tourist region with common marketing, a plethora of attractions, and a strong heritage appeal; 1950-2000, on measures taken to preserve the Cape in the face of overdevelopment.

The decisive moment for the Cape's development was the coming of the automobile during the 1920s. For the first time, tourists were able to explore the entire region. As a result a plethora of cottage colonies, restaurants, antique shops, and historical landmarks appeared. After World War II, a boom ensued that continues to the present day. Cape Cod's greatest challenge has been preserving the natural environment, historic buildings, and cultural traditions that have shaped the Cape's sense of place. Becoming Cape Cod drew upon my experiences working at the Cape Cod Commission, a regional planning agency, in writing this book. Part social history, part cautionary tale, Becoming Cape Cod meditates upon how to preserve authentic places against continuing growth pressures.

The Cape Cod Voice has called Becoming Cape Cod "an intriguing combination of historical research, overview and statistics, with a fun visual hook." The Cape Codder said the book is "a welcome and important addition to the Cape Cod history library."

My other publications include three books and numerous articles on Boston, Western Massachusetts, and urban history.

i grew up with the briarcliff lodge in my back yard and was saddened to see it perish. reading this book, seeing the pics from the glory days and the later pics from just before the building came down, brings the same sentiment as when i view images of the titanic...
somewhere in a parallel universe, the titanic is docking in the new york harbor and it's passangers eagerly await their transfer to the train that will take them up the hudson river to holiday at the briarcliff lodge...
ps: watch re-runs of 'the wonder years' when it's dad's birthday and he's mad at big sister for moving-in with her boyfriend. the name of the restaurant where they go for his dinner is 'the briarcliff lodge.' who is the local resident who must have written for the show and tucked that into the story?

As a person who grew up in the shadow of this historic structure I found it to be very interesting. There is even a picture of the house I was born in on page 67. It brought back so many memories. Nostalgia so thick you could cut it with a knife !

Jewett's Country of the Pointed Firs seemed like a good choice for reading while summering in Maine. Indeed her character who narrates the book is a woman author spending the summer in a small seaside Maine town.
Sara Orne Jewett gets a mention in American literature classes as a local color writer. This book demonstates her style with its descriptions of the Maine countryside, village life in the 1890s, and insight into the lives of island dwellers and retired fishermen and sea captains.
There's not much that would be considered a plot, just casual meetings with interesting characters in the area. To glimpse life in coastal Maine more than a centruy ago, this is the book for you.
I look forward to visiting the author's home in South Berwick. It's a national historic site.

Jewett's relatively unacknowledged novel "The Country of the Pointed Firs" is a masterpiece. Tightly constructed, beautifully written, thematically rich; top-of-the-line in every category. It's slow going at first, but grows on you once you see what Jewett is examining -- the interconnectedness of all people, even those who live far apart and have seemingly nothing in common. The bookshelf of any bona fide literature fan -- esp. fans of American lit. -- should not be without this little masterpiece.

This book opened up a new world of travel and exploration for me. I was vaguely aware there had once been hotels where people visited to "take the waters" but didn't know much more than that. With its marvelous old photographs and readable histories this book made the world of spring hotels real for me. I used it as a guide to visit the hotels, some still open, some still standing, and some forgotten ruins, and had a great time doing it. Years later, I'm still so hooked I often plan trips around the location of spring hotels. I've had more fun locating and exploring these old hotels than I can describe. If you have any interest in history, are interested in architecture, or just love exploring mysterious and often forgotten places, this book will be a joy!

I first saw this book in 1981. Twenty years has not change my thoughts on this book. It is one the best pictorial histories ever. The subject is one that is best told with photographs. It was truly a step back in time.

Barclay has finally revealed his long buried genius in this masterpiece. I've been reading the Toronto Star for years and never actually found anything he said very funny, but this book defied all my expectations with its brilliant gems of sparkling Linwoodisms. Now if I had actually read the book maybe you should listen to me. Really I'm just writing this so he stops complaining in print that nobody's reviewed him.

Linwood Barclay, one of the funniest writers in Canada, has written a memoir of his youth that will have every reader saying, "Yeah, I always wondered who owned those holiday fishing camp things on Lake Wishamagog." The Barclays did.
But in this memoir, Barclay has done something much more ambitious than make the reader laugh with recognition on each page. He has what the humorist Joey Slinger calls "meatloaf memories", recalling the things that weren't so funny like a father's death and a mother's insane expectation that her son will remain in a parallel version of her world.
I used to think funny was the hardest writing to carry off, but funny and painful is actually worse. The Camp Wishamagogs I drive by on the highway now radiate powerful emotions at me as I pass.
If you're not into anguish, there's a lot of outhouse maintenance information in here for Red Green types.
A beautifully handled memoir.

A thriller of nightmarish happenings set in modern day Big Sur. Surrounded by the beauty and serenity of redwoods is the magnificent new resort Cliffhaven. When a couple decides to stop at a beautiful new resort on their scenic drive up the California coast what they find at a seemingly high class resort profoundly changes their lives, and astounds the world. Merle Clifford a Texas businessman and genetics expert is the founder of Cliffhaven; his master plan is to reverse what he sees as an undue influence in America, namely the Jews. This novel was highly revered by Stein's peers, and aroused much controversy too by exposing the raw nerve of anti-Semitism and genocide. Author Jack Higgins: "The Resort scared the hell out of me."

When Margaret and Harry Brown begin their trip down the California coast with a stop at an exclusive "resort", they settle into their luxurious surroundings, only to discover that, along with several hundred others, they are being held prisoner. With an illegal cash crop funding the anti-semitic operation, "Cliffhaven" is the brainchild of Merle Clifford, a megalomaniac determined to eliminate Jews from the landscape of America. He enjoys great sucess with his diabolical plan - until the arrival of the indomitable Harry Brown.

Set in a redwood forest high atop the coast of Big Sur, "Resort" is a starkly written, fast-moving thriller that I read in less than a day. The novel portrays the deep angst of persecution for the Jewish people and reminds us all that we must continue the fight against religious intolerance, lest we become victim to its evil.

The author writes from the omniscient point of view and escorts the reader into the minds of many characters, including the antagonists. Stein is a delightful storyteller who uses minimal description and good characterization to create a fast-paced plot. A great read.

Elaine took an interesting look at resorts in Berrien County and found some great photographs from various sources. Many of the resorts were from various cultural groups and it was interesting to see the mix of ethnic groups within the county early on. Her captions explained the photographs well and felt she did a great job with covering a topic few know about in the area.

This is another good book in the Arcadia series of local history books. If you are interested in the history of the resorts along the Lake Michigan shore in Michigan, this book will show and tell you many fascinating things. A job well done.

The author evidently went everywhere and skied every piste. He meticulously records all the useful information (including piste maps) and writes a little description of each resort. This is a bible for those of us who live in Japan and are keen skiers.

I wish they would publish an updated version as things have moved on a bit now.

T.R. Reid was/is a foreign correspondent for The Washington Post based in Tokyo and is talked into going on a ski vacation. This is the beginning of an adventure and after much research we have his new book. There are about 500 ski resorts in Japan and many of them are small by international standards. Reid gives an interesting historical oversight of the Japanese ski industry and the internal politics today as well as normal travel information. It is well worth reading even if you are not planning a visit.

I had to have this book for school and this was the cheapest place to get it.

This text book is wonderfully thought out and designed for LMPS or estheticians of all levels and backgrounds.Whether you have prior training in spa or want to teach yourself this is your book. The step by step directions on how do perform the kind of spa treatments that people will pay $100.00 is so easy to follow. great photographs, step by step set up of your work station. contraindications for clints of concern and more.
Our school has purchsed it for our spa program and the students love it!
erin from auburn

ANDY IS A STUNTWOMAN SENT TO TERRA BLISS, A SORT OF SPA THAT HELPS WOMEN FIND THEIR INNER (AND OUTER) SEX GODDESS. SHE NEEDS TO FIND HER AUNT MAC, ALSO A STUNTWOMAN (THE WHOLE FAMILY WORKS IN THIS BUSINESS) WHO HAS DISAPPEARED ON A SIMILAR TRIP. HER SEX SLAVE DILLON IS A HUNK WHICH MAKES FOR STEAMY SEX SCENES, ESPECIALLY IN THE SHOWER. THIS IS A FAST-PACED, ENJOYABLE "READ." I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN. PEARL WOLF

The four evil genies demand that Ariadne McAllister go undercover to learn what happened to her Aunt Mac who never came home from her three weeks at obtaining the "eternal orgasm" at the Terra Bliss sex goddess spa in the Lake Tahoe Mountains. Her mom, her two siblings and their housekeeper insist they are too busy so since she finished shooting she is the only one available to investigate. The stuntwoman begs for time off as she worked hard on location, but knows she will be driving immediately to Tahoe as mousy Miss Marple.

Investigator Dillon Cross is working undercover as a male slave; make that attendant, at Terra Bliss as he investigates a homicide of a wealthy patron of the Goddess International crowd. He notices two things upon arrival at Terra Bliss; the guards are armed to do more than keep out bears and how sexy the mouse Ariadne is. He is her personal attendant and just touching her accidentally gave his groin a rush he has not felt since high school. As each make inquires while hiding their investigation from the other, both deny the attraction that heats the mountains to equatorial temperatures.

WHO WANTS TO BE A SEX GODDESS? is an amusing charmer in which the suspense comes late as the lead couple meets and hides their undercover activities by under cover activities. The lead couple is a delightful pairing as both deny their feelings while distrusting the other with their not so hidden agenda as they trip over one another while making inquiries. Fans who appreciate lighthearted but hot satirical romantic mysteries will want to read Gemma Bruce's lampooning of the sub-genre.

Harriet Klausner