GA

The 9th edition (which is being shown on the screen right now as of November 17), is still the best guidebook to NJ around. Published in 2000, it is more up-to-date than many others, and still shows plenty of personal opinions as well as the basic facts. Available mostly thru "used-like new" option on Amazon because the publisher is out of stock of new copies, but has plenty of books that were a tiny-bit bent when shipped in cartons or shipped back from stores that went out of business.

Although the 8th edition is a great book, it was published in 1998. The most recent edition available at this time (10/2003) is the 9th edition published in 2000. It's ASIN number is 0960776281. That is about the only way to get to it since Amazon.com refuses to put up the 9th edition first on the page although I have asked them to many times. You can buy "used-like new" that are actually new, unread copies that have come back from bookstores as returns, or had slightly dented covers are were never sent out. Thanks a lot, Barbara Hudgins

Those of you looking for the latest edition of New Jersey Day Trips may be having a hard time, thanks to Amazon's crazy automatic system. They presently have an older edition on the top line, with no indication of what edition it is. If you want to buy a "used, like new" copy of the 9th edition, type in the ASIN number in the little rectangular box on the amazon front page. That will take you to the correct 9th edition. The number is 0960776281. The 9th edition was published in 2000 and is the most recent. The 10th edition will not be out until spring, 2004.
Thanks, Barbara Hudgins, author.

Gardening In The Coastal South by Master Gardener, educator and journalist Marie Harrison (Director of District I of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs) offers an impressive and practical collection of advice, tips, musings, and reflections written for the benefit of neophyte and seasoned gardeners alike. Tips and techniques for growing Popular Perennials, bulbs, tubers, herbs, shrubs, small trees, vines, and more, are discussed, as well as climate issues to be aware of along the coastal south, as well as regional environmental issues and personal insights from the author. A relaxing and engaging guide for those who love to garden, or who simply love to read about gardening, Gardening In The Coast South is a superb reference and a highly recommended regional gardening guide.

If you are a southern by birth, this book will delight you with memories of the old days. You will rejoice at the memories that surface while reading this conversational style presentation.
If you are new to the South, prepare yourself to encounter a friend and expert in the pleasures of gardening.

If more writing could be done by people like Marie, who have had their hands in the soil, we could more easily enjoy our flora and fauna. What a style!!!!

I have this book because I know this lady's passion for gardening! Even though I live outside the Zone 8, I find this book to be extremely useful for my Zone 7 garden. In building a new home, her book is a "book of choice" in giving information that will help me garden more successfully.

I loved Marie Harrison's story-telling style. I enjoyed the tales of her family and how these experiences influenced her outlook on gardening and life in general.

I give it a thumbs up!

Novel Rating: CS/SC/RBR

When Dr. Chinzea (Chi) walks into Parker Ryan's mom's hospital room, she has no idea she is about to come face to face with her deepest desires. Parker is sitting by his ill mother and frankly says: "If I had known the doctors here were this attractive, I would have gotten here earlier."

Immediately, you are drawn into this love story as the chemistry between Parker and Chi heats up. Parker is a thoughtful son. He returns to check on his mother quite often, and make sure she is well taken care of. His mother, Harriett, is healing physically as her son heals emotionally. Only a year before he lost the love of his life and now he was feeling mildly guilty for his uncontrollable attraction to Chi.

Dr. Chinzea's cool, calm exterior is only betrayed by how distracted she becomes emotionally when Parker is near. Parker sees a beauty in Chi and is determined that no one will take this woman away from him. His obvious pursuit unnerves this work first, play later doctor. Her feelings leave her confused as she tries to escape from the emotional aspects of her job.

Parker's smooth moves, his love of Jazz and his enticing smile just adds to his charm. On a deeper level, Parker and Chi need each other emotionally. While the story focuses on Parker and Chi, we also learn of Chi's son who has sickle cell anemia. She refuses to give up on her son, but almost gives up on her own dreams.

Dorothy Elizabeth Love's writing is enticing. She portrays Parker as a bad boy who also has a very human loveable side. She uses evocative descriptive language, throws in an unexpected turn in the plot, makes the characters extremely likeable and creates a connection between the reader and characters.

The character development is only surpassed by Dorothy's descriptive writing. It will take hold of you and not let go until the last pleasurable page. The story seems to end on page 299, then Dorothy is sweet and includes an epilogue.

I was amazed at the fluidity of her writing. This is only her second novel. "Whispers in the Night" preceded this work and a romantic suspense called "You're Mine" is due out in 2001. She spent time in London and Paris researching You're Mine. While walking on the shores of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Dorothy had glimpses of "Unforgettable" which will be her fourth and possibly best romantic classic. She not only holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a master's degree in International Business, she loves traveling to the Caribbean Islands to dive. Somehow, she finds the time to write!

Perhaps Dorothy's inspiration for her writing springs from a core belief that love can conquer just about all. She shows a great passion for her writing and the true essence of life surrounds her work. Her writing is just delicious!

I also admire Dorothy Elizabeth Love for giving of herself through her writing. A portion of the proceeds from this book will go to support the fight against sickle cell anemia. As long as Dorothy continues to write romance novels, they will be flying off the shelves! The cover on this book is a beautiful purple iris design and the models look just like you would imagine Chi and Parker to look like.

those words best describe the great mind of Dorothy Elizabeth Love.like her last name she puts alot of Love into her work.very detailed&full of insight.this book takes feelings&relationships into a whole different area.you come away looking in the mirror at yourself.the mark of a great story teller.i look forward to reading more of Ms.Love's work in the future.i just got the book&it's very uplifting.check it out.

I really enjoyed Chi and Parker. Parker was an entreprenuer who had visions. He always saw visions about people he was in love with. He saw the woman he was going to marry get hit by a car two days before their wedding. After that incident, he decided he would keep his feelings under wraps.

Parkers mother had an accident and ended up in the hospital. There is where he met the beautiful Chi Addams. She was his mother's doctor.

Chi was the single mother of a son with sickle cell. Her mother was helping her with her son while she worked late. Chi didn't want to be attracted to Parker, but it was inevitable. Parker was persistent, sweet and very handsome.

There are a large number of African American with Sickle Cell traits or disease. I have friends that have lost love ones to the disease. My own grandfather had the trait.

I liked the way Chi decided to take control of her own life, instead of allowing her mother to run it. The way she handed her son's father who had been absent all the boy's young life.

Parker is also in the book Whispers in the Night. Which is a book about his sister Patricia. Good Job Ms. Love.

Superbly narrated by Jim Weiss, The Cat Of Bubastes is an exciting, riveting tale by G.A. Henty of Chebron (son of the Egyptian High Priest Ameres) and Amuba (a slave in the Ameres' household). Chebron accidentally kills a cat which is an act of sacrilege to the ancient Egyptians and the punishment is death. He and Amuba flee and in doing so find themselves embarking on the high road of adventure as they encounter life and death experiences among peoples of antiquity. The Cat Of Bubastes is a technically flawless, six CD, unabridged, six hour audio book and strongly recommended for personal and community library audio book collections.

viewer from Califronia 1st published over 100 years ago, G.A. Henty's novels fill a void in the area of literature that is appropriate for kids! It is full of adventure and is written in a style that kids will read comfortably. The 15 year old hero, the prince of a small nation invaded by the Egyptians,is of strong moral character and boys, especially, will love the story of his captivity! Packed full of details: Egyptian architecture, family life, methods of warfare, government, geography, religion, and more! Even a cameo appearance by Moses, himself! As a homeschooling mother, I bought this book for my 6th grader to supplelment our history studies. I found myself reading it whenever she put it down and we were devouring it together for an entire weekend. Can't wait to get more Henty novels!

This book is very good. The plot is excellent, although sometimes the author is to descriptive. Try it out! One of the best books I've read.

I'm only half done, but agree that this is a great way to learn about the history of Atlanta, race relations, and politics. You know that Pomerantz is a good writer when he can even make Ivan Allen's privileged, silver spoon in mouth upbringing look interesting. The Ivan Allen part of his book almost makes me feel like I'm a part of the Northside Drive old Atlanta aristocracy, but then I snap out of it and remember that I'm not a WASP and Bob Woodruff didn't give me a gift of 25,000 shares of Coke when I was starting out. Also never knew who JW Dobbs was, even as I rode my bike up and down Auburn Avenue. Great read.

I knew Atlanta in quite a different way. This book has opened my eyes to how the city became what it is today and gave me a wonderful historically accurate picture of the people who build the city. This should be a must-read for anybody connected with the city or anybody interested in how race relations affect the building of any city. I was thrilled when I recently drove thru Atlanta and saw an exit off of interstate 75 south for the "John Wesley Dobbs Ave." and felt like I was part of history too after connecting some things in my family with events in this beautifully written book. This book also gives me hope that all human beings can strive together to make the future of Atlanta even greater than the past. This book was good on so many levels and touched so many different issues: Historic, human, socioeconomics, I can't begin to describe how much I liked it with the poor words at my disposal. I can say READ IT!

An excellent, wonderfully written epic of The City Too Busy to Hate, rendered all the more poignant by the nearly simultaneous deaths last summer of its two main characters, former mayors Ivan Allen Jr. and Maynard Jackson Jr.

As a fairly new resident of Florida I look forward to Robert Haehle's NGA email each month, with his great advise & tips. This book is a "must have" for anyone new to tropical gardening, as well as, the Southern natives. The information & beautiful photos are especially helpful in identifying what is in my yard & what I would like to add.

This was very helpful. It organizes plants by type, but gives enough information so you know where they best grow. It has lots of color pictures and also some landscape designs that make it easy for you to create something for your own yard (especially if you are a beginner). I wish there were something like this for the Pacific Northwest (now that I've moved).

This is a great reference book for anyone living in Florida, who wants to identify and learn about native Florida plants. The book includes a photo of each plant with the common and botanical names. It provides zone numbers and descriptions of each plant's average height & light requirements. Also, bloom information, fruit, leaves, trunk, habitat, propagation and appearance descriptions. Chapters are divided by basic plant type - large trees, small trees, palm trees, wildflowers, etc.

Author Sara Corbett was granted exclusive access to the 1996 US women's basketball team, and this amounts to their authorized biography. Corbett is a good writer and manages to convey a series of themes: the tenuous existence of women's basketball in the US in 1995 when the team was formed, the heterogenous backgrounds of the players and coaches, the incipient rivalry between two nascent professional leagues for the allegiances of the players, to name a few. And Corbett is to be commended for managing to integrate this disparate material into a single narrative. But in basketball terms she is a "homer" -- and one wonders whether the exclusive access that she was given, implicitly or explicitly, informs this relentlessly positive depiction of the team. That said, it is probably a very good book for teenagers of either gender interested in basketball.

Venus to the Hoop is a motivation to every kind of athlete. If you have ever played basketball you may be able to understand the situations these women athletes were put in. The detailed descriptions of the players and their coaches and staff allows you to understand the atmosphere they had to play basketball in. If you want to read a good book and also get some posative thinking out of it, read Venus to the Hoop. This book has really helped me keep a positive attitude about sports, teammates and life. I loved the way the competitors from the past pulled together and played as one on the same team. The way they helped eachother out in games and off the court helped me realize that they loved playing basketball. Keeping a positive attitude is important to me, and this book made me look at my life more positively.

Sara Corbett, who wrote this book, had the opportunity of traveling with the winning U.S. Women's Basketball Olympic team from their early tryouts in April 1995 to their glorious gold medal in Atlanta in 1996. She was there when they for the very beginnings and the selection process; she was there for their rigorous training under their coach, Tara Vanderveer; she was there during meals and long boring flights.

Through a series of in-depth interviews, as well as 14 months of personal

observation, she has written the book that defines the major milestone in women's basketball gaining the public's awareness and acceptance. Each of the 12 women on the team as well as their coach are skillfully profiled, and their stories credit, Ms. Corbett, kept the focus on the game. She lets the player's hopes and dreams and divergent personalities emerge through the sport. Of course we get their backgrounds too. We see Sheryl Swoops and her adoring husband, we see the explosive personality of Dawn Staley who likes to make side wagers on everything; we see Rebecca Lobo having trouble keeping up with the training; and Lisa Leslie's love for dressing up. But most of all, we see them play basketball.

In 1995, there wasn't even a basketball league for women. But during the time of their training for the Olympics, the possibility of two different leagues emerged -- the WNBA and the ABL. This was the major source of conflict between the members on the team during the course of the year. They had to put their disagreements aside though, and play basketball.

And that they did. They played and played and played, wining every single one of the games they played during that year. The women's college teams were easy, but they struggled with the team from China and the team from Australia. They constantly traveled, and the fatigue and frustrations of a life on the road was clearly examined.

Now, just a few years after the Olympics we take the WNBA for granted. American women now have an arena to play basketball professionally after college without going to Europe to play. The experiences playing for the European teams were usually unhappy. They were alone in foreign countries with a cultural barrier between themselves and their teammates. They were treated poorly, and sometimes punched and sexually intimated by their male coaches. It was never a pleasant experience.

The women were proud to be on the Olympic team, but the pressure never let up. Each game was a different kind of challenge. I loved the descriptions of the games, and even though I knew the final outcome of each game, found my heart beating during the play by play action. The game became more than just an unidentified player running around the court. It was Sheryl and Teresa and Katrina and Dawn. It was Rebecca and Jennifer and Lisa and Carla. I followed the action. And I was right there on the court with them.

One of the greatest things about this book, too, was how much it stirred me to learn more. My experience with basketball is limited and so I found myself screen. I therefore found myself going outside the confines of the book, asking questions of the basketball experts in my life, and looking up each player on the internet to find out where she is playing now and how she is doing.

I loved this book, carried it everywhere and couldn't put it down. I was right there with the team all the way and shared the very real swells of emotion they were experiencing . I shared the pain of their injuries, the strain of their training, the adrenaline rush during the games. I shared he plays that didn't make it and the plays that did. I heard the roar of the crowd, felt the strain and the pain, and experienced the glory of the victory.

The story of women's basketball is more than the story of this individual Olympic team. it is about the real opportunities that have opened for women in the world of sport. And, as a whole new generation of little girls are growing up with these possibilities now a reality, it is about the future.

Highly highly recommended.

A simply outstanding historical novel set in the age of ancient Rome's legendary conflict with the city of Carthage, The Young Carthaginian by G.A. Henty is a totally thrilling historical action/adventure tale that will rivet the listener's attention from beginning to end. Superbly and dramatically narrated by William Sutherland, The Young Carthaginian is written with detailed attention to historical accuracy and truly brings to life a long-lost time of Hannibal, the legions of Rome, and the absolute destruction of a great maritime empire. A confidently recommended addition to any personal, school, or community library audiobook collection, The Young Carthaginian is complete and unabridged on eleven compact discs, offering 12 hours, 30 minutes of an impressive, "theater of the mind" quality entertainment experience.

Who would have thought that a book written in the 1800s could be so appealing today? Doing a little internet research, I have found that G.A. Henty lived from 1832-1902, and the books he wrote were historical fiction "for boys". He was called "The Prince of Story-Tellers" and "The Boy's Own Historian", which certainly may have been true, but I'm an adult female who loved this tale! The style of writing sounds a little formal and old-fashioned, but it actually helps create a feeling of antiquity, appropriate for its ancient setting during the Punic Wars.

The fictional and lovable hero, Marchus, a relative of the famous Hannibal, accompanies him on the Carthaginian campaign against Rome. I learned so much about Hannibal through this book, yet the majority of the plot involves other adventures that Marchus gets into. He has near escapes from bears, wolves, lions, treacherous tribesmen. In two instances, he escapes with the help of an elephant, and a raft in the subterranean reservoir of Carthage. This was fun stuff, and I am so impressed that this book I found, that is so old it doesn't even have a publication date in it, could be so delightful. Someone could make a great movie out of this!

Everyone, it seems, has heard of Hannibal bringing his army,including the elephants,through the Alps, right to the doorstep of Rome. However, a readable account of Carthage vs. Rome is not easy to find. I've been very happy to find this fascinating historical novel as the best way to teach my two sons, ages 11 and 14, about this time in history. There are some valuable lessons for us all in the book--valor, honor, and how corruption destroys great nations.

I was very pleased with this book - Amy Blackmarr's style really impressed me. Each chapter is a short story of it's own, yet they are all about her life & experiences with the same place. I enjoyed every chapter, every story - There was even one which I loved so much, found it so profound, that I immediately reread it & then later read it outloud to my husband.
Great work, Amy! Thank you! I can't wait to read your other works.

Young South Georgia woman gets off the fast train, returns to family's shack by the pond, then delivers us a way to enjoy her experiences and reflections. The sparce prose of Amy Blackmarr lets you sit back and relax awhile. You'll also enjoy the sequel, House of Steps, where she moves to a peculiar little house out in Kansas. Her outlook on life is quite refreshing. Both books are short, too, so they're great for summer trips to the beach, or weekends out in the backyard.

Kudos to Amy Blackmarr for a gently ironic, sometimes funny, touching and always honest look at the questions about life, death, and living that we all grapple with every day. She turns the ordinary experiences of her life at her grandfather's Georgia cabin into delightful, searching stories that I find new surprises and new meaning in every time I read them. Full of sensual details and images that take me right to where she is, standing on the back steps of a tarpaper shack, sipping coffee, looking out over a pond, or striking through the swamps watching for snakes and alligators! A great, fast read.

The writing in this book was very good, and I especially liked that the author had personally tested the plants for this difficult climate. But, unfortunately many of the photos were blurry and unprofessional looking. Since the photos are always a favorite part for me of any plant book this did detract from an otherwise very good book. I will look for her next book Best Color Garden for Florida in a bookstore before buying so I can see that the photos don't have the same poor quality.

Full of color photos in a large format, this book is essential if you want a decent looking garden in South Florida. All the other gardening books either dismiss this part of the country or give very cursory information. I like that her recommendations are field-tested and she gives additional information, like the lifespan of the plant. Well worth the money.

As a new South Florida gardener, I wasted money on three other books before I found this one. High glossy pictures on every page alone makes it worth the money. This author has tested all kinds of plants and isolated the best and easiest for this area -- as well as talking about care, possible problems, and suggested companions for each plant. I'm glad I found this book before I started re-landscaping my yard - I expect it saves me a lot of money. IF you live in South Florida - it's worth every penny!

Footnote Jan 2003: It has been 6 months since I used this book to re-landscape, and everything is now filling in beautifully.
Everything I chose is thriving. And the yard looks great.