What I like about this book is that it has fill-in-the-blank review questions at the end of every chapter so that you can test yourself on the information that you just read. It primarily focuses on sensory evaluation of wines and how to describe them.

Finally! This is the wine book I've been searching for! Dr. Baldy presents a wine appreciation course in a serious yet accessible format that goes far beyond the surface-level information provided in typical books on wine. She not only writes about aromas and flavors in wine, she discusses sensory perception and how to develop it. Having taught for many years, she understands her students' concerns and insights, and both shares and addresses them for the readers, giving us the sense of being brought into her classroom. Her approach is systematic, practical, and thoroughly enjoyable. Each unit includes a quiz, practical exercises, and supplemental (though now somewhat dated) bibliography. The book is designed in such a way that it can be adapted for personal study, for use in small groups, or in a classroom setting. This is a very welcome addition to any serious wine-lover's libary.

Who else has explained the scientific reasons behind the making, taste, and food-matching of wine in such a friendly, easy-to-follow way? No one. An award-winning teacher of enology and genetics, Professor Baldy's years of wine making and teaching experience show: she respects wine learners, so she gives them the technological wine information they must have in order to understand wine and their reactions to it. And mixed in with these thorough scientific presentations, Marian's tasting exercises and humorous comments guide readers to use what they learn to increase their daily appreciation and choice of wines. Thank you, Dr. Baldy, for a major, needed work.

I found the writing style very powerful!! I can't wait for more from this author. This story is gripping and I was right there in it. It has been quite sometime since a book has held me captive.

My only regret is that it is not a longer story. But I can't wait to read more from this author!

I actually have an autographed copied. I met her at a book tour and found her very personable and approachable. I like that because some authors can be stand-offish.

I totally agree with you Sarah, the style is fresh and her prospective is different, its a welcomed change of pace. I look forward to more from this author! I would differently recommend this book to a friend.

This book is currently out of print, but I found an audio tape in the library and now I am hunting for a copy of the book.

It is about a young Polish Jew, Marian Pretzel, who through great ingenuity lived through WWII while living in Poland, German, Hungary, etc. Because he spoke German, and because of his looks he could "pass" for various nationalities. His key to success was his artistic ability to forge official German stamps on typewriten documents. This got him places to sleep, food, Geman uniforms, jobs, etc. He had many narrow escapes--a gripping story. He lives in Australia today. (He lost the rest of his family in the holocaust.)

I am not a prolific book reader, but I found it hard to put this one down. The copy I read has recently been republished in Australia under the title "Outwitting Hitler" and is available from Angus and Robertson under this title although their website still lists "By My Own Authority". Angus and Robertson's online shopping site is at: angusrobertson.com.au

A glittering object drops to the floor. What's a hungry cat to do? Swallow it of course. That is part of the premise of THE DIAMOND CAT by Marian Babson. When a major storm hits a London suburb, a carrier pigeon is the victim. Needless to say, the four felines being boarded by a downtrodden spinster and her demanding mother are more than mildly interested. The bird is carrying a fortune in diamonds, mysterious begin to strangers haunt the neighborhood, and two murders ensue. This fast-paced book by American expatriot Babson will delight readers of traditional British mysteries and cat lovers alike.

No matter how much you may happen to have an aversion to either mysteries and/or cats, one can't help but laugh out loud when the person telling the story is Ms. Babson.

This particular murder mystery is done just as straight-forwarded and written with the dry humor we've come to expect.

No one gives a more accurate picture of the English countryside and the people who live there than Marian Babson: her characters are well defined but she never gets wordy or preachy about it. It is the same with the deaths that take place in her novels: no gruesome details, just facts and good reading.

Do yourself a big favor and pick up this, or any of Ms. Babson's novels: you won't regret it.

This book contains much useful information for beginners who want to be a "Natural Magician". The Author, Marian Green, showed a easy-going sequence to know the four elements and herbs, to feel the time of change. It's nice!

I have read so many books on magic and The Craft and this one is so elegantly written as to not offend anyone from any faith. Its basis is the magic that nature gives us regardless of where we come from or where we are going. Her style of writing is also so refreshing compared to some of the better known popular books on magic or The Craft.

Mrs. Clark wholeheartedly wants you to "Get your kicks on Route 66" with the help of her cookbook/guidebook. Following the classic old road from Illinois to California, she visits the kitchens of inns, restaurants, community cookbooks, and residents who provide memories along with regional tastes.

For as interesting a concept as this cookbook is, it's a shame that it has as many editing errors as it does. One can overlook the occasional odd terminology used in the ingredients lists (soda instead of baking soda), and the few rather large portion sizes (the recipe for "Mustard Relish" makes 9 pints). But it is unacceptable to have ingredients called for that are not used and exact ingredient sizes not given.

The recipe for "Chorizo Roll" asks for 4 links Mexican Chorizo Sausage but doesn't tell you how much that would be in ounces or pounds. I've seen these links come as large as Italian sausage links and as small as breakfast sausage links. It makes a big difference. The recipe for "Paper Bag Apple Pie" lists a 9-inch unbaked pie shell twice, once for the pie and once again for the topping. I double-checked the recipe and the second pie shell was definitely an accidental listing. In the same recipe, though this is probably obvious to some, the ingredients list calls for 6 baking apples but doesn't list a preparation for them (diced, sliced, chopped, etc...). It's not until you get into the description does it mention that the seasoning mixture is to be sprinkled over sliced apples.

Of the recipes I tried, each turned out delicious and satisfying, after a few adjustments. Making "Strawberry Muffins" doesn't get any easier and they are not too sweet to serve as a snack or along with breakfast. Though I had to substitute a similar local white wine for the regional one called for in "Chicken and Rice in Wine", the dish smelled heavenly and had a very pleasing taste.

The abundance of recipes and travel information warrants the price tag but the mistakes make you want to ask for a discount. If you are curious about traveling along Route 66 yourself someday, you might find some fun recipes to try out or look into tasting straight from the source. In general though, it asks for more bang for the buck than it delivers.

In The Main Street Of America Cookbook, Marian Clark draws from an eight-state culinary adventure along Route 66 to showcase menus and 295 recipes offered by roadside cafes, restaurants, and eateries (as well as highlighting local home cooks encountered along the road and the secrets of their specialities). From Greek Meatballs; Chicken and Rice in Wine; and Oklahoma Calf Fries; to Ben Konis' Hot Damn Texas Panhandle Salami; Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls; and Baked Apple Pancake, The Main Street Of America Cookbook offers a wealth of highly recommended, nutritious and palate pleasing dishes that would complement any family menu.

As with her other book, the Route 66 Cookbook, Marion Clark has again combined wonderful recipes with interesting facts and history on the ever-fasinating Route 66. I wish I had this book before I took my Route 66 roadtrip. Of course, I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys great recipes. But I also recommend it to those who have traveled or long to travel the "mother road." It's a great read for all! (I'm eagerly awaiting the release of her next Route 66 Cookbook!)

Allan Keiler's biography of the great African-American contralto Marian Anderson is meticulously researched and detailed. Having exhaustively consulted contemporary sources neglected by other researchers, such as black newspapers, and personally interviewed many people, including the singer herself, Keiler sheds new light on the familiar story of Anderson's life and career.

Of particular interest is his detailed chronology of the famous events of 1939 that began with the refusal of the Daughters of the American Revolution to allow Anderson to give a concert in Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., and ended with her outdoor concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, a performance that propelled the singer to iconic status in the civil rights movement. His recounting of this and subsequent events, including her eventual success in obtaining a performance in Constitution Hall years later, reveals Anderson to have been surprisingly hesitant and passive in combatting segregation, and by no means unequivocally in favor of some of the bolder, more confrontational moves of her supporters.

Likewise, Keiler probes her personal relationships, something Anderson was reticent about in her own autobiography, and reveals a human being with faults and frailties, one who could be dictatorial and impatient toward members of her family, and aloof and uncommunicative when terminating relationships with lovers and artistic collaborators (notably Billy King, her first regular accompanist, who never recovered from the pain of being replaced by Kosti Vehanen). In no way do these revelations detract from Anderson's accomplishments as a musician; rather, they form a touching picture of the real sacrifices she had to make in the service of her talent.

The one major area in which this book falls short is a detailed examination of Anderson's vocal art. Despite her unique status in American history, the singer comes from and joins several well-defined artistic traditions--the low-voiced female classical singer, a vocal species now almost extinct; the singer who makes a career through concert and oratorio work rather than opera; and the African-American classical singer. With her well-documented performance history and large recorded legacy, the time is ripe for a definitive study of Anderson the vocal artist, writing of the kind John Ardoin and Michael Scott have published about Maria Callas and her work. Despite its many virtues this volume does not pretend to, nor does it accomplish this task.

Though Mr. Keiler does a tremendous job of putting Ms. Anderson's life on paper, at the end I still felt I did not know her. I don't know if it was because he had the cooperation of her family and was overly cautious, or if she is just a personality to complicated to really get to know. Anyway, a great read, but just left me wanting to know more.

In 1939 world-class contralto Marian Anderson was barred -- because of her race -- from performing an Easter concert in Washington's Constitution Hall when the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to rent her the space.

Instead, supported by the NAACP and Eleanor Roosevelt, Anderson sang at the Lincoln Memorial. In so doing she brought attention to both her magnificent voice and the reality of segregation in the capital.

This absorbing authorized biography puts Anderson's career before her skin color, but Brandeis University music professor Keiler, who interviewed the singer shortly before her death in 1993 at age 96, carefully documents both her musical evolution and civic triumphs.

Though clearly awed by the stately vocalist who dressed in white satin, Keiler celebrates the humanitarian who served as a U.N. delegate, funded scholarships for black youth (both Jessye Norman and Leontyne Price auditioned for one but lost), mastered works by Brahms, Schubert and Sibelius and became the first African-American to sing at the Metropolitan Opera.

An important read of a voice which sang so true.

Marina Fitch really did a good job writing this book! I enjoyed not only the science fiction aspects, but also the personal aspects. It left you struck, and forced you to think of the Earth as more than just land to build on. Although I don't believe in "the anger of the Earth" it began to seem almost realistic. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science fiction/fantasy, and even those who don't. In fact, I'm not even a Sci-fi fan!

Every once in a while, I go into a bookstore looking for new authors to add to my collection. Most of the time, the paperbacks I buy end up in the resell pile - but this one won a permenant space on my bookshelf! Finished in less than a day, I was caught by the characters and had to finish it before I went to bed. Not that it doesn't have a few flaws, but I look forward to Ms. Fitch's next effort with anticipation! Way to go!

Upon hearing that Marina Fitch had published a novel, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. As a child, I had met Marina during a visit to my aunt's house in California, and thought she was fascinating. When I finally recieved the book as a gift, I read it an just short of a day. The story was incredible, unique, and I found myself getting really involved with the characters. She took an interesting approach to personifying nature and all of it's aspects. This book rekindled my interest in the fantasy realm of literature, but above all, reading this book gave me a new-found respect for nature and the power that lies within. It's been a long time since a book has captured my attention like that. I look forward to reading her second book, and the many more that are sure to follow.

This book could have been written by Irma Bombeck . . . except that Irma Bomback would never have written about having an abortion, shooting heroin, or oral sex in the front seat of a car. Essentially, Winik writes about what happens when the generation who never trusted anyone over thirty now finds itself trapped at forty-something. Her reflections and insights are remarkable for their transparancy. Winik neither takes us on a nostalgic romp through "Gee, wasn't it great back then!", nor does she moralize from hindsight with "Here's what I did; here's what I learned; maybe you can benefit from my experience." Instead she just describes what is: what it's like to be forty-something and come to grips with one's history. I laughed, I cried, and I couldn't put the book down.

I picked up "telling" only yesterday from Barnes n nobles bargin stacks. (I was only searching non-fiction in my quest to learn more about the history of why). Even though I am already operating on sleep deprivation from my one year old and working all night and day lifestyle I could not put "telling" down (a RARE RARE, so RARE i can't even remember when I plowed through a book with such joy and amazement). I'm endlessly searching for those voices of comradioure (sp?), and have sifted through zillions of books looking for it, for that voice that speaks as if it were my own. Marion winik is this voice, but she's not, she appears to be 'just like me', but it's really just the seductiveness of her writing style, the ease at which she tells it, the way she's managed to take all of the hopeless fiascos we make of our lives and laugh them into o.k. now-ness. There is tradgedy, which she doesn't hide from, and small bits of philosophizing, but most of all its just a back and forth journey through the times of her life (which is so similar to our lives-from the fat and awkward childhood, to the artsy drug-rebelling adolescent, to the station-wagon driving mom in a condominium with a microwave). The real stuff is here, the events of life, unfolding through the ages, just like us. Even though my father is still alive, I'm not jewish and i've never been to new orleans, I'm still just like Marion Winik.

Marion Winik is one of the best authors I personally have ever read. I've read (consumed might be a better word..lol) all of her books now and each one only furthers my belief in her writing. She even took the time to personally answer a letter I had written her, which only made me like her more. She's a great author and I will continue to read her works over and over again..

It is often said that new poets bring a breath of fresh air to the world. Marian brings to this earth a breath of air from another planet, a new world. Or maybe her little spaceship of poetic exploration has a searchlight that shines a light on daily life that makes her readers see their world in a new and "extraterrestrial" luminence. A wad of chewing gum in a drinking fountain? Marian makes it a reflective experience. Why are pencils yellow? Well, there's a complicated reason. And I never before knew she was the art thief who stole Rodin's "The Thinker" from it's its perch in art history. But wait! She can explain. With that and so much else there are reasons you never thought of and--strangely--they almost make sense.

And then there are the photographs. If you are in doubt as to the true meaning of some of the more complex poems, there are photographs--some of Marian and others presumably by Marian--that make all clear. Upon completion you will know the relationshuip between the works of Jackson Pollock and those elephants with paintbrushes. Not to mention the similarities between elephants and popes. Yes, popes. And so much more.

This wonderful poet is definitely quirky--which is NOT to say bent.

I truly appreciate Ms. Wilson's sense of humor and perspective on the world. As the true poets do, she has unique insights into the mundane -- e.g. the pencils of the title. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fresh voice in today's poetry.

These poems cover a variety of topics and are cleverly written. I especially like the photos that accompany the poems. Will there be a sequel?