Francine Silverman, where were you when I needed you?

When I was a teenager growing up in Montreal in the 1950s I would look forward to my summers visiting my sister in Long Island, New York.

It is too bad I did not have at the time a copy of Francine Silverman's comprehensive travel guide, Long Island Alive. All I ever knew about Long Island were its beaches.
Anyone reading this wonderful guidebook will have to agree that Long Island is not only about beaches- it has a distinct character and soul.

Silverman is a veteran feature writer for newspapers and magazines.
These days Silverman's passion is travel writing. Her first guidebook, Catskills Alive, was very well received, and I am sure Long Island Alive, will be equally successful.

Long Island Alive concentrates on different geographical areas of Long Island: Nassau County' North Shore and South Shores, Suffolk County's North and South Shores,
Fire Island, and Suffolk County's North and South Fork.

Dividing these areas into subsections, Silverman describes their history, geology, geography, wildlife, and environment and also provides us with useful maps.

In addition, the author provides information highlighting the heartbeat of the area with all its activities, attractions, lodging; restaurants, events, festivals and other goodies that make Long Island come alive. There is even an entire section devoted to farm markets.

Scattered throughout the book are sidebars of tidbits of fascinating information.
Did you know that when Dutch explorer Adrian Block sailed around the island in 1614 he named in Lange Eylandt and the name stuck?
Sea turtles and whales occasionally wash up on beaches along the South Shore.
Coyotes, bobcats and black bears that are common to New York State are no longer to be found on Long Island.

Each section also includes a listing of some vital resources: medical facilities, shopping malls and streets, houses of worship, health and beauty clubs, banks, museums, historical societies and tours, bars and clubs, motels, parks, tennis facilities, newspapers, liquor stores, wineries and even animal adoption centers.

As for those of us who are interested in where to dine and stay, considerable space is devoted to the best places to lodge and eat. Where applicable websites are even listed.

Silverman succeeds in evoking Long Island's charm and color, and should prove to be an invaluable asset for travelers to this very interesting area.

This review first appeared on the reviewer's own site
bookpleasures.com

We residents of Long Island will be tickled pink with the author's thorough research of Long Island's length and breadth, 100 miles long and 20 miles across at its widest point. It will also provide a sweeping view for the visitor to the island. Before it was named in 1614 by Dutch explorer Adrian Block, our island was home to Indians for thousands of years and Indian names from Amagansett "plenty of good water" to Wyandanch, the chief who befriended the white settlers, are still many across the island.

Silverman's exhaustive investigation of every aspect of Long Island gives the reader a complete picture of every area, covered and explained. From geographical details of its two counties, with Nassau and Suffolk's north and south shores, and latter's north and south forks, all readers' questions are answered, from its largest ethnic group (Italian Americans, 27 percent( to its highest point (Jayne's Hill in Melville at 400 feet above sea level). We are flat!

The author's 10 reasons to visit Long Island (and we should be proud) are 1) 23 state parks and more than 50 county parks; 2) superb restaurants; 3) scenic waterways, 4) gilded-age mansions open to the public; 5) world-class concert halls and arenas; 6) hundreds of miles of white sandy beaches; 7) more than 100 museums; 8) 7,000 structures built prior to the 20th century; 9) unique architecture and 10) animal refuges and preserves. Sounds like something for everyone.

From recreations of all sorts from biking and hiking, horseback riding and fishing to golf, tennis, boating and beaches (the 2,400-acre Jones Beach State Park and famous beach draws six to seven million visitors from around the world each summer). In this, the nation's fourth wealthiest area, residents support 1,196 shopping centers in addition to chain stores, boutiques and shops, found in virtually every town. Long Island is described as a microcosm of New York City, offering something for everyone, from restaurants and late night bars with live music, to celebrated concert halls featuring top names in entertainment, lounges, piano bars, comedy clubs and nightclubs. The book lists festivals, events, medical facilities, houses of worship, etc. in addition to accommodations and restaurants across the county, with price scales for each.

Under Nassau County's North Shore, the reader is afforded an interesting listing and description of specific "Mansions to Museums" - from the Falaise Castle to the Tee Ridder Miniature Museum. Detailed information is given as well for the county's South Shore, before venturing to the less-densely populated Suffolk County.

This lesser-known area of Long Island, its many historic sites from Stony Brook's Grist Mill to its wildlife preserves, its Film and TV Foundation and its many family-fun facilities, music, theatre and art offerings, spas, cruises, all sports, shopping, museums, accommodations, restaurants and more, are presented in detail by the author. From its South Shore's William Floyd 1724 famed Bayard Cutting Arboretum to its picturesque North Fork with its 25 wineries welcoming the public for visits and tasting and farm stands featuring fresh picked crops from the area's vast farmlands are many and popular with natives and tourists alike.

Its celebrated 32-mile Fire Island with its pencil-thin barrier beach, no more than a half mile wide from ocean to bay, with its 17 communities' 200 families year round are joined by thousands of visitors every summer. No road or cars here and it's reached by ferry.

"Let's not forget the island's famed Hamptons, which the author describes as "like nowhere else on the planet," with celebrities underfoot on the streets, markets, restaurants and shops. Like Long Island's Gold Coast, excess wealth abounds, with real estate up to "$ million a pop." All this plus award-winning beaches, museums, windmills, historic sites, water and land sports and lots of shopping, from surfboard to sand paintings and a wide choice of high-tone fashion; a shopper's paradise even for merely the "window-type." Restaurants, theatre, dancing and live entertainment are available after dark. The road to the Hamptons is a traffic nightmare during summer weekends, with tourists vying for the view of "life among the super rich on America's Riviera."

Easy-to-read maps accompany each area text, excellent advice for additional sources and a helpful index afford readers easy access to Long Island Alive!'s ample array of Long Island information, border-to-border, coast-to-coast...

Pros
' In depth information about Long Island
' Geographic arrangement of chapters is very helpful
' Excellent descriptions of attractions

Cons ' Maps are very small

The Bottom Line - If you are traveling around Long Island, keep this book in the car. Long Island Alive! packs a lot of information into a portable package. With a cover price of $, you'll get your money's worth.

Description
' A travel guide for visitors to Long Island and a resource guide for those who live here.
' You'll find information about places to stay, restaurants, museums, and historical landmarks.
' This book also lists houses of worship, parks, movie theaters, animal hospitals and shelters, etc.

Long Island Alive! author Francine Silverman has put together a wonderful resource both for visitors to Long Island and those who live here. You'll find information about museums, dining, houses of worship, animal shelters, shopping, and entertainment. Long Island Alive!, published by Hunter Publishing, Inc., is arranged geographically using the Long Island Expressway as the dividing line between Nassau and Suffolk Counties' North and South Shores. Looking for a museum on the North Shore of Nassau County or somewhere to get a light bite on the South Shore of Suffolk? You'll find it in this book. Do you need to find a farm market? It's in here too. Keep this chubby paperback in your car. You never know when it will come in handy. Dawn Rosenberg McKay -

Every morning, Rujen Keju takes the 3-mile ferry ride from his home on Ebeye in the Marshall islands where he lives in squalor, to his job at the sewage plant at Kwajalein, the American-run island which is off-limits to him after the workday. He's accepted this as his way of life, and his older teen-age son, Jebro, is supposed to start working there also after the weekend. By the end of the day, however, he and his two sons come face to face with challenges, which will change their outlook forever. It just happens to be Good Friday, 1981 and the symbolism of that day is one of the many intertwining themes in this novel by first-time author Robert Barclay.

Rujen encounters a series of mishaps that day, including having his work-boots stolen, and the reader is drawn into his story as he goes through the day, trying to conform to what is expected of him and looking forward to his volunteer job as an usher at the Catholic church later. In the meantime, his son Jebro and his younger brother Nuke, set out on a small boat to visit the homeland of their grandfather, a small island which has been declared off-limits to Marshallese people. To add another dimension to the story is the magical tale of mischief-making gods and demons appearing as characters who play tricks on each other.

The story is told through alternative chapters, turning a flashlight on one harsh reality after another as the characters struggle through their day. And yet, there is sense of humor throughout, as we see each character's strengths, weaknesses, complexity and growth. Everyone is breaking some sort of minor law, including three American teenagers who are cutting school and out fishing that day. Their encounter with the two young brothers is both frightening and inspiring as they, too, learn a lot from the day's events.

I was immediately drawn into the writing and couldn't put it down. I loved the characters and I loved the situation. I also gained understanding of the history as well as and myths and legends that define the Marshall Islanders as a people. I usually don't like books that include magical characters, but these were so outrageous that they held my attention completely. The author is great at description and he lets himself go really wild as he describes the demons. Another theme throughout is scatological which addresses the very real issue of sewage management on the islands. And then there are the themes of father and sons, and Good Friday suffering. But best of all is the theme of love and camaraderie and lessons learned.

This book is a small gem that not only taught me a lot, but also made me think. Even the conclusion, which is indeed satisfactory, is something that gave me even more food for thought. I hope to hear more about this author, who now lives on Hawaii. His is fresh clear voice brings reveals some universal themes. Highly recommended.

A beautifully realized novel which goes far beyond a voyeuristic account of the subjugation of the Marshallese by Americans and its use of the islanders as nuclear guinea pigs with its terrific characters, a terrifying plot and mythological monster gods who vie with Grendel in amusement and disgust.

Admittedly, I'm not 100% objective about Melal. I grew up on Kwajalein and attended high school with the author. However, Melal is an incredible work of fiction. It is part adventure, part mythology and part commentary on the human condition. One dimension of the story takes place in 1981 as Rujen Keju and his two sons confront that unique Marshallese heritage that includes the legacy of atomic testing and the relationship with the American community on Kwajalein. The other dimension is timeless, based on the complicated Marshallese mythology of dwarfs, spirits and demons.

Robert's descriptions of life on Kwajalein struck a cord within me - one I thought I had put to rest years ago. His descriptive prose will offer you an unique perspective on Pacific island life where the ocean is more prevelant and often more revelent than land.

My highest praise for a novel is that I "cannot stop reading" and that when I finish I immediately begin re-reading passages. Melal fulfilled both. It forced me to explore my perspective on the Marshallese people and to remember friends, both American and Marshallese.

If you enjoy myths, legends, adventure, fishing, travel or just want to read a book with incredible prose - try Melal!

This is an important book. Written for children, it can be used just as effectively by adults to comprehend the beginnings of the industrial revolution in the United States. Learn and see how men tamed our rivers and how men, women and children were swallowed up in these great monuments to progress.

The illustrations are remakable. David Macaulay deftly describes and illustrates how the technology that made America a world industrial power came to the young new country and how American ingenuity improved it and made the nation into a world class economic juggernaut.

The author is a superb story teller, and anyone who would like to visualize the nature of mills and to understand the profound impact of this technology on our country should read it.

I highly recommend this great children's book to everyone.

A wonderful story that takes the reader through the life and times of an infant small village mill into the mature years of a 20th century factory-mill. Excellent illustrations, and fun storyline that allows the reader to become involved with the life of the mill. I loved it.

Mill is, simply put, remarkably well crafted. In it, David Macaulay gives us a brief history of the beginnings of the textile industry in America, walks us through the planning and construction of four successively more complex mills, lavishly illustrates the buildings, the machines and their power sources and, at the same time, manages to thoroughly convince us that we would never want to work in one.

This last trick is subtle and, to my knowledge, doesn't appear in any of the other books in this series. From Cathedral, City and, to a lesser extent, Castle, you get the distinct feeling that these were great and noble projects that you would have loved to have been a part of. You get this sense too from Mill, but the heady rush that comes with the idea of building something from the ground up is tempered by small, fictional diary entries that betray the harshness of life for those who worked in the mills after their completion.

Mill is a strong contender for a place in your personal and permanent library. It is beautifully illustrated, historically grounded, thoroughly researched, accented with social commentary and, most importantly, it is an enjoyable, absorbing read.

I was really impressed with this book. The author clearly cares a great deal about the topic, and this kind of book can easily get bogged down in absolute trivia and become dry as dirt. Luckily that isn't the case -- he keeps the story moving without sacrificing the kind of accuracy he desires. Some of this is as simple as putting things in footnotes that other others would have left in the main text, and some is an ability to stick to what's important.

Miwoks To Missiles provides the first complete history of Angel Island, covering over two hundred years of the island's history from Miwok Indian settlements to Spanish exploration and immigrant arrivals. Anecdotes, personal recollections, and source material documents make for an excellent and lively presentation essential for any collection including regional California history.

John Soennichsen's spectacular new book Miwoks to Missiles: A History of Angel Island is a must-read for anyone with an interest in Angel Island and it's history. As state park docents, we may each think we already know all we need to know about the human history of the island. But every page for me deepened my perspective and provided a wealth of new information. John is a master of making historical transition readable, entertaining and informative. The author begins with the lives of the indigenous people who used the island for fishing and hunting. He then moves gracefully through the Spanish and Mexican periods and concludes with chapters covering the more modern era: military utilization of the island during our 20th century wars, the dynamics of the creation of the Immigration Station and its many uses, and finally the effort to make the island a bit more angelic in the transition of the Island to state park status. The particular strengths of the book for me are found in the myriad of detail about the early history of the island: the travails of Lt. Ayala and the San Carlos, the voyage of the Racoon, and the "original owner" Antonio Maria Ossio. The later periods were also thoughtfully reassessed. The author's use of archival material-old photos and rare written accounts bring the island and its people to life in dramatic fashion. John Soennichsen is a first rate historian. Unlike most historians, however, our resident author has a sense of humor and is able to punch through the pretentiousness of so many of the people who were in leadership positions during the different island epochs. Filled with stunning photographs and informative sidebars, the book is a really good read that should enchant virtually everyone who picks it up. We must all be grateful to John Soennichsen for providing us with the first thorough and sensitive history of the people and places of Angel Island.

We love this adorable board book. My youngest one has memorized the words and "reads" it along with me. Great illustrations!

This colorful counting boardbook is such a pleasure to read to my kids! The whimsical illustrations really capture my 2-year-old, and my 4-year old loves to find the hidden mouse on every page (strange, he doesn't tire of this!) The book takes you away to a beautiful Nantucket day!

My six month old girl loves the colorful, whimsical characters. My three year old loves the little mouse hiding on every page and is having fun learning to count! I bought this book for all my friends with children. Adorable.

The book Nantucket Summer should be brought back for all to read. When I was going through an emotional time in my life as a young girl, I ran across this book 17 years ago about this young girl finding herself and beleiving in positive things again. The book was so intriguing I have read it aleast 8 times. I have to recommend this book because if I write anymore I will end up telling the whole story of this book. So young girls who feel lost "PLEASE READ"..Take care Charlotte

Thanks to Kelly, the previous reviewer, I found the book I have been looking for! I too read this book in school and was searching to re-read. I was unsure of the title and if it wasn't for the review, I wouldn't have found it!

Excellent book. Even though quite some time ago, I remember it well!

This was my first book. I was eleven years old, and my teacher assigned this book to read. I ordered it again because as I remember, it was rich with adolescence, and the story of a young girl going away and finding herself. That was twenty-three years ago, and I am eager to get my hands on it, so I can read it again and re-live all the wonderful memories of Nantucket Summer.

Cary captures parts of the island that you'll never see if you only _visit_ Nantucket. Having spent the first 18 years of my life on Nantucket (NHS '94) I can truly identify with her photos. Her photos of little known corners and landscapes bring me back to the island.

Cary Hazelgrove is the only photographer on island who has a sense of the real island! She doesn't just take "pretty" pictures like any other photo book of the Island. I can feel these images!....I hope she continues with her excellent work.

If you love Nantucket, you've got to have this book. Cary, in my opinion, is the best photographer on the island. Her photos are so beautiful that I'm transported back to Nantucket as I look through the pages of this book. Somehow she captures the full feeling of being on Nantucket and for that I'm grateful. It's a magical place and Cary's photos bring back wonderful memories every time I look at them.

I love this book. Daisaku Ikeda's children's books are some of my favorite children's books of all time.

Akiko and Hiroshi move to an new island because of their parents' work. They don't know anyone on the island and are terribly lonely until they meet Pablo, who shows them the tropics entrancing secrets, teaches them to paddle outrigger canoes, and shares the delights of the coral reefs.

However, suddenly, Pablo decides that his new friends are his enemy. He has asked his grandmother about the wreck in the local bay and learned that people from Akiko and Hiroshi's island attacked Pablo's island many years ago. Hiroshi then sets out on his own in a small canoe and, caught in a strong current, is rescued by Pablo. They then learn that their ancient ancestors all came from the same place, carried around the world by boat and realize that humanity is truly one large family.

World renowned illustrator Brian Wildsmith outdoes himself in splendid paintings of a lush tropical island, a luminous sky and the beautiful tropical sea.

Three children overcome age-old prejudices to discover the unique value of their individual lives and the eternal bonds of friendship that connect all humanity through a rescue from a storm at sea.

Brian Wildsmith works his color magic on the tropical seas and fishes that provide the setting for this tale.

The book has the perfect balance between information and size/weight. Lots of info about camping sites, hostels and where the shops are. All nicely organized at the beginning of every staged being described. The altitude graphs are the final touch to this simple but perfect book. I went to New Zealand with Bruce Ringer's "New Zealand by bike" but in this book one has to read the whole story of one stage and pick the information needed from the text. Besides, this book is to much weight to carry anyway. Pedallers Paradise is easy to update; there is a website of the author with all latest changes, most of them sent to him by fellow cyclists.

We went to NZ with a cycling book we purchased in the USA. After 2 weeks into our 3 month trip, we promptly tossed that one in the trash and got Nigel's. There is no substitute. Small is size, but packed with info. Best of all is the elevation profiles (with mileage), so you always know when the next killer hill is coming. If only for this, the book is worth it. No NZ cyclist is without a copy. Those that are, (like us) soon buy one. Combine Nigel's books with the Lonely Planet guide to NZ and you'll have all the info you'll ever need for your trip. Gary Dotzler - Portland, Oregon, USA.

Facts only, apart from the authors occasional joke. Great info if you are actualy going bicycling. No glossy pictures or ads. Recommended

Kathryn Wall is destined to become one of the great mystery writers of our time. I've gotten so I can hardly wait for the next Bay Tanner adventure to hit the stands. Unlike some popular female sleuths, Bay is no ditz, no wilting violet looking up beneath her lashes to glean her clues from some macho male. She's sexy, funny, gutsy, and savvy--the kind of woman you'd love to have as a best friend. Bay Tanner makes me laugh out loud, a rare and delightful treat. And Wall's skilled plotting and scintillating prose keeps me turning pages. I think her latest episode with her arrant "distant cousin," Mercer Prescott,is her best work yet.

You'll feel like an old friend has come for a visit in this third Bay TAnner mystery. As Bay winds her way through the Lowcountry, you'll almost be able to smell the marsh. When a young woman she's never seen or heard of before shows up in the local jail claiming to be a distant cousin, Bay has no idea the path that the two of them are about to embark on--one that could claim both their lives. A great read just as we've come to expect from Kathy Wall.

Former financial consultant Bay Turner convalesces at her Hilton Head home still recovering from the murder of her spouse. However, when she is asked to help her twenty something fifth half-cousin Mercer Mary Prescott who was arrested as a vagrant and locked up in Beaufort County jail, reluctantly Bay gets involved. Though a relative, Mercer is actually a stranger. Bay gets her dad's friend Judge Talbot Simpson to set bail. Mercer is freed.

Still Mercer remains in trouble due to a federal trespass charge for illegally entering the Savannah River nuclear plant. When Mercer flees thugs, goons and cops pursue. With other family woes descending on her, Bay joins the chase only to become involved in the deadliest family secret of all, PERDITION HOUSE.

PERDITION HOUSE is a strong thriller that seems almost out of control, but is deftly kept in line by author Kathryn R. Wall. The story line centers on Bay, who just wants a little peace of mind, but her relatives think otherwise. Instead of domestic tranquillity, Bay concludes that blood may be thicker than water and she somehow seems to get sucked into storms caused by her extended family starting with Mercer. This terrific tense thriller takes readers on quite a ride.

Harriet Klausner