America's Wild and Scenic Rivers by Donald J. Crump

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Contributing authors are Louis de la Haba, Toni Eugene, Lawrence F. Mosher, and Jennifer C. Urquhart. Contributing photographers are Matt Bradley, Richard A. Cooke III,Bill Curtsinger, and Steve Wall.

This book was published in 1983, and it makes me wonder how many of the proposed federal dam projects went into place during those 28 years. Has the wild and scenic designation protected the rivers or has it taken control away from the landowners whose property adjoined the rivers?



View all my reviews

Dracula by Bram Stoker

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


5 stars for it is a classic. It held my interest and pulled me into the story, even though I had a good idea of how it would end. The endnotes section and for further reading section provided footnotes that helped define terms and locations that are not easily understood by a current reader.



View all my reviews

One of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


If you have not started to read the adventures of Thursday Next, this is not the book with which to begin for there would be too much explaining to do. If you are a fan who has read the books in order, you may have hoped, as I did, for this book to pick up where the last left off with the promise of a killer who wanted to put an end to serials; and it is not. This book is about written Thursday Next who is trying to find the outlander Thursday Next. I could believe that there might be a snooze button in a book that puts its reader to sleep for I did not find this book to be as fast-paced or as interesting as the first three books.



View all my reviews

America's Wild Woodlands by William Howarth

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When you cannot hike in the woods, this book can transport your mind there. The text is evocative and the photographs trigger daydreams that can start the vacation planning. The contributing authors are William Howarth, Jane R. McCauley, H. Robert Morrison, Jennifer C. Urquhart, and Merrill Windsor. Contributing photographers are Paul Chesley, Mike Clemmer, Steven C. Kaufman, and Tim Thompson. Illustrations are by Alan Singer.



View all my reviews

Exploring America's Valleys - From the Shenandoah to the Rio Grande by Toni Eugene

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I often hurried through valleys on vacations to get to the mountains, and this book tells me I missed a lot of geology, of history, and of the people who still live there. The contributing authors of this book are Toni Eugene, Christine Eskstrom Lee, Jane R. McCauley, H. Robert Morrison and Gene S. Stuart. The contributing photographers are Richard A. Cooke III, Lowell Georgia, Mark Godfrey, David Hiser, and Tim Thompson.



View all my reviews

Nature's World of Wonders by Donald J. (editor) Crump

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The contributing authors are Ron Fisher, William R. Gray, Loren McIntyre, Thomas O'Neill, and Cynthia Russ Ramsay. The contributing photographers are David Austen, Paul Chesley, Georg Gerster, Loren McIntyre, and George F. Mobley. Africa; Europe; Asia; Australia and the Pacific Islands; Antartica; North America; and South America are the chapters.



View all my reviews

The Alien Factor by Stan Lee

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


It was entertaining. I was disappointed by the weak characterizations in this novel. For example, I did not have enough distinction between the Allied commander and his staff and Allied commando leader and members of his squad to help me keep them distinguished while reading.



View all my reviews

Mother Goose is Dead by Kirk Dougal




Patricia Schiml's "Ruble's Second Chance" is included in this anthology.



View all my reviews

The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens




This was a free book I received for uploading Kindle for my PC when I was trying to decide which reader to get. I enjoyed reading the characters Dicken wrote. This book was incomplete at the time of Dickens death.



View all my reviews

First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I recommend this for fans of the series Fforde has been building this outland and Book World for the past four books and assumes you understand his speculative world. His commentary reflects on our own world and I second his comments with, "Ain't that the truth!" The stupidity surplus has climbed to a dangerously high level--"there are lots of idiots in this world and they deserve representation as much as the next man". ReaderRate has been dropping, and our heroine must again make the world safe for fiction and its readers.



View all my reviews

Wild Lands for Wildlife : America's National Refuges by Noel Grove

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When I read the text by Noel Grove about our national refuges, I decided to explore a state refuge that was close to my home. While it provides a place for wildlife, it is also a place for public hunting, trapping and fishing. I hiked there two days before the start of squirrel season and I won't be back until the end of Spring turkey season. I could see evidence of some of the management techniques mentioned in this book. such as a strip of sunflowers provided food for songbirds I watched that day.

I enjoyed the photographs by Bates Littlehales.



View all my reviews