When it comes to the wit and wisdom of Yogi Berra you have to realize that are two types of Berraisms that you have to keep separate. First there are his classic examples of logic, where they sound wrong but they make sense, such as "Ninety percent of this game is mental and the other half is physical" and "It ain't over 'till its over." For example, the latter works because "over" has two different meanings in that sentence, which reflects the fact that baseball does not have a clock. Second there are those that are simply the man misspeaking, such as "I want to thank everybody for making this night necessary" and "You saw Dr. Zhivago? Why? Aren't you feeling well?" Do not mistake the two forms because there is a major difference. The first category is the important one because it proves that while he was uneducated Lawrence Peter Berra was one of the smartest people to ever walk on a baseball diamond. You be sure to distinguish between the two types of sayings that serve as the basis for this book "What Time Is it? You Mean Now?: Advice for Life from the Zennest Master of Them All." (The title would fall in the second category for my money.)

All of this, of course, assumes that Yogi actually did say any particular comment in the first place (we give the man the benefit of the doubt although he admits he did not say everything he has said). There are twenty-six of these sayings, arranged in alphabetical order using the most liberal of standards¸ each with a black and white illustration by Alan Dingman. We are then provided with several pages of reflections and commentary by Yogi, which work in stories from his family life and baseball career. I wonder whether Yogi was actually given these sayings and then proceeded to hold forth on this thoughts or whether Dave Kaplan interviewed the Hall of Fame catcher and then cut and pasted them into this volume. Not that it makes much of a difference, but I am curious. The main thing here is not the recycled sayings, most of which I have heard before in my consumption of all things Yogi (in the fourth grade there were three of us with the same name and I had a catcher's mitt so I was actually called "Yogi" for a year), but to hear what he has to say about the mysteries of time, the meaning of community, and the omnipresence of hope in the direst circumstances (and you thought this would just be light reading). Smart move of Yao Ming in one of his first commercial to team up with Yogi, the most loved and loveable sports figure in the United States today.

Read and enjoyed Yogi Berra's WHAT TIME IS IT? YOU MEAN
NOW? . . . the book, written with Dave Kaplan, is subtitled
ADVICE FOR LIFE FROM THE ZENNEST MASTER OF THEM
ALL . . . it contains 26 chapters, one for each letter from A
to Z, that has me believing that Berra was not only a great
baseball player--he's also quite a guy.

Although I have my doubts as to what he wrote vs. what
Kaplan did, I nevertheless enjoyed the thoughts on such
varied topics as family, competition and living in New York City.

Naturally, I also chuckled at a bunch of quotes that have
been attributed to Berra--although he admits that he did not
say them all . . . among them:
Little League is good because it keeps parents off the
streets and the kids out of the house.

It's so crowded nobody goes there.

If you ask me questions I don't know, I'm not going to answer.

You saw DR. ZHIVARGO? Why? Aren't you feeling well?

There were several other parts of the book that I liked; most notably:

I'm Lucky that Carm is a very upbeat, positive person and doesn't dwell on this stuff either. One time, though she did ask me where I should be buried. Our families are from St. Louis, where I grew up; my career was in New York; we live in New Jersey. I told Carm, "I don't know, just surprise me."

If I'm buying a car, I'll leave my wallet home the first time and just ask questions. What are the payments? What kind of warranty? What's the downside of the car? The right questions can help you make the right decisions.

It's no big secret-winning makes you feel better about everything, and losing doesn't. Everybody wants to win, who doesn't? Winning is important, that's why you keep score, but I think maybe overall it's gotten too much so, especially in kids' sports where there's too much stress on winning and not enough fun. I guess that's what's happened as sports have gotten so big in our country. Instead of asking their kids after a soccer or a Little League game, "Did you win?"
maybe the parents should ask, "Did you give it your best?" or
"Did you have fun?"

I still dont know what inspired me to buy this book, but after every page, I was glad I did. This book was a very unique combination of philosophy, self-help, humor, historical sports and general good writing. I had never been familiar with Yogi Berra other than some of his more famous quote but I understand his way of thinking now and I believe some of the secrets to life lie between the covers of this book.

The book never gets dry, points arent beaten to death and he doesn't try to cram his personal way of thinking down your throat. I like that and really was able to take more out of this book because it approaches everything in a very level-headed and laid back way. There were a lot of interesting stories that presented a nice way to explain a situation. I also appreciated the fact that there were references to very recent happenings as of 2002. There were also some comical and cartoonish illustrations that started off or ended each chapter and the chapter names were "Yogi-isms" which was also a nice touch.

The only problem I had with this book was that I ended up reading it too fast because I couldn't put the thing down. I was very impressed with Yogi Berra, he is truly the man, the myth, the legend that people have made him out to be and I believe that meeting him one day has just been put on my to-do list. As far as the book goes, I highly recommend it. It is a smooth reading book that you will enjoy and recall upon in the future. As I stated, I only like books I'm going to like, and this was one of them.

Ms. Meier has returned to writing good cosy mysteries! After the boring and rather flat Wedding Day Murder, this book has been received with open arms. Cute, clever, and keeps you guessing. Miss Tilley is an engaging character, and our wonderful Lucy never fails (with the exception of Wedding Day Murder) to enchant!

Birthday Party Murder, one of the best in the Lucy Stone series, could serve as a model for anyone who wants to write in this genre. Heroine Lucy Stone deals with her own spreading waistline, a daughter's co-ed slumber party, a son's first-year college woes, a job on the local paper, a husband who's supportive but busy, an old lady whose newly discovered relatives seem a little odd...and oh yes, she's asked to investigate the murder of a lawyer who had just set up a meeting with that same little old lady.

If you've ever tried to write a novel, you will appreciate the author's skill as she gathers these plot lines together in a seamless whole. Most readers will guess at least part of the outcome but that's part of the fun. Meier evokes the seasons and celebrations of a small New England town and life in a family that's doing well as long as mom brings home a paycheck. Lucy and her husband Bill are a long-married couple and it shows.

A great escape for a dreary day or a plane ride. When you close the covers, you wish you could hang around with them a little longer.

Lucy and her friends are starting to feel their age. Their children are for the most part grown or more grown than their mothers' wish them to be. Miss Tilley's 90th birthday is approaching and they decide to make it a town wide celebration. Miss Tilley's old friend and attorney Sherman Cobb has recently killed himself(or has he)after calling Miss Tilley with a request for an appointment. Miss Tilley has more excitement to come. Her long lost niece and grandnephew have come for a visit. They seem very concerned for the old lady's welfare (or are they?), and limit her visits with friends. Lucy and Pam are suspicious, but don't know what to do, or even if Miss Tilley will survive to celebrate her special day.

I really enjoyed this visit to Tinker's Cove. The characters and story lines are as fresh as ever and I love Miss Tilley. Great read.

This was my first Lucy Stone mystery and I found it very enjoyable. I really liked the realistic, comfortable way in which Meier introduced Lucy's home life and contrasted it with the wild antics of her mystery-solving. The supporting characters are varied and very vividly drawn. The novel also uses touches of humor to keep things from getting too dark or scary. I plan to read more of Meier's books. I hope she continues this series.

Trick or Treat Murder is my favorite Lucy Stone mystery because of the coziness of Ticker's Cove and the real-life characters. I enjoyed this novel so much I purchased all the other Lucy Stone mysteries to say that I have a collection of good books. Because it's hard to find authors that I enjoy so much, I can say Leslie Meier is one of them. Readers who are scanning bookshelves in their hometown, pick up a copy of Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone mysteries. You will not be sorry. Trust me. Congratulations to Leslie Meier for her brilliant, authentic writing!

I loved this book. I really like reading murder mysteries and especially enjoy ones that are entertaining. these books never lag on EVER! they are always going and they are great! I highly recommend this book!

Did I enjoy the book? Yes. However, I did not like the way the late librarian was portrayed. A real librarian knows better than to gossip about which books any patron has checked out.

If you are looking for a light, entertaining read, this is the book for you. I enjoy reading stories about women I can relate to. Lucy Stone is a housewife and mother, not a jet-hopping, globe trotting woman of the world. I will definately be picking up the other books in this series.

I really enjoyed this book and all her others. Librarians generally don't gossip about their patrons though. Well the ones I know don't. I like how Lucy throws in some family time and time to clean and do other chores along with solving mysteries. Leslie Meier writes good.

The writing is not that good and certainly not very suspenseful. Filled with mundane details about the main character's daily life. Not very compelling. Three stars is probably too generous. I wouldn't read this author again. A much better read is Simon Brett's The Christmas Crimes at Puzzel Manor (Amazon spells it "Puzzle").

This is a reissue of the first in this series, originally titled "Mail-order Murder." The charm of the series is in the recounting of the mundane details of everyday life. Characters you care about and watch as they develop - what could be better!

Lucy Stone is completely busy with the holidays. From baking cookies to knitting sweaters. If you name it, she's doing it. But her holiday preparations come to a halt when she finds Sam Miller, the founder of the mail-order company Country Cousins dead in his car. The police are calling it a suicide, but Lucy knows that that's not the case. Now she's got to find the killer before she's the next one dead.

This was my first and favorite Lucy Stone Mystery. This book will get you hooked on the series before you can say Merry Christmas.

Other reviewers here have given a good feel for the setting and plot of this lightweight mystery about a small town housewife/mom who dabbles in crimesolving. I found it pleasant, but uninspired- one scene has her serving tuna sandwiches and tomato soup to her family, which kind of sums up the diet we're offered - lacking in imaginative ddetail, witty dialogue, or unususal characters - everyone and every conversation is mundane to the extreme, yet is oddly comforting in its familiarity.

This was an easy, fun read for me, I tend to read very serious books ( my last was HUBBERT'S PEAK: THE IMPENDING WORLD OIL SHORTAGE) so I found this novel very refreshing. CHRISTMAS COOKIE MURDER is perhaps the second murder mystery I ever recall reading. I thought the story line and characterization were excellent, and I see that Leslie Meier has used the character Lucy Stone five times previously, obviously a well developed character and fine tuned indeed. The writing style used here is homey, very relaxed.

As a man I enjoyed reading of the bickering a group of women are capable of, with their petty squabbles and jealousies, I suspect that Leslie Meier may have a keen insight into women's minds that few men do. Also, much of the book centers around Christmas and families and normal everyday events, and of course a perplexing murder, all told I found this a charming novel, definitely worth reading.

After reading the very disappointing Back to School Murder, I was a bit hesitant to try another Leslie Meier mystery. I needn't have worried. This one was excellent. While the mystery plot was a bit weak, with the solution a little too easy to find for our intrepid detective, the rest of the book more than made up for this. The characterizations were strong, and the small-town aura very seductive.

An excellent installment in this series.

As with many series, the first book is not always the very best. I enjoyed this book once I was able to get through the beginning of it. Miss Meier covers the subject of child abuse in this book. There are some details that I wish that she had left out of the story. The rather graphic subject of child abuse does not fall into the catagory of a "cozy" mystery. I did enjoy how she pulled the story together at the end. There were a few good twists along the way.

Loved this book for how easy it was to throw it in the diaper bag and pick it up to read when I had a few moments! Long enough to develop characters well, but short enough for us busy Moms to read through the whole thing in less than a week (in between basketball practice and diaper changes). Thanks to Leslie Meier for providing a really fun mystery that was actually full of suspense to the end. A couple of times I thought I had it figured out, only to find later there may be yet another answer out there! Great Book!

A summer afternoon is the perfect time for enjoying the exploits of Tinker's Cove murder meddling sleuth Lucy Stone, and I recently decided to catch up with three such mysteries that have been sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read. So along with a blanket and some refreshments I took the first (The Tippy Toe Murder) to Forest Park, the legendary birthplace of the hot dog, the ice cream cone and iced tea at the 1904 Saint Louis World's Fair.

Settling under a very shady tree, I opened the book to discover that the annual ballet recital of the Tinker's Cove Academy of the Dance had been scheduled for June 18. But before that can take place Caroline Hutton, the retire ballet instructor disappears. Naturally Elizabeth and Sara, Lucy's daughters, are going to dance in the recital and Lucy is planning to videotape their rehearsal. Unfortunately, it seems that the Stone video camera is the only one in Tinker's Cove and Lucy is forever loaning it to someone. This time she has loaned it to Franny Small, and when Lucy goes to pick it up she discovers that it has been used to bash in the head of the town curmudgeon Morrill Stack.

Now with a missing woman and a murder, there's no way to keep Lucy from getting involved even though she is pregnant with her fourth child. As usual she is convinced the police have arrested the wrong person in the murder and she is determined to not only identify the murderer but also locate the missing woman both of which could have dire results for her. But when did that ever stop Lucy Stone?

Unfortunately in this book, the domestic violence/child abuse theme that runs through it gets in the way of the plot at times. Surely not every husband and wife in Tinker's Cove are abusing one another. And while Lucy's husband Bill has always been a bit of a dolt and Maine's answer to the King of Siam, for Lucy to imagine him as a wife beater is a little heavy handed. Other than that, this book is a perfect summer reading adventure in the park or wherever you want to a lazy day.

And 9 years later, I still love it. I have held on to this first book so I could read more from this author. Lucy Stone is a 60's hippie, now grown up with family and kids. She reminds me of Rita Mae Brown's "Harry" Haristeen in that she lives a real life, she has chores, drives kids to school, worries about pets and has a full time job. I've never been to Maine, but her descriptions fit what I have always imagined Maine to be like. I'm also a sucker for a good holiday mystery.

Definitely not her best book in the series. The characters don't quite come across as the same they've been in other books, and the ending just comes too quickly and feels slapped together...there's a whole bunch of filler after the murderer's identity is revealed that seemed to go on forever.

Lucy is asked to help arrange the wedding of her best friend Sue's daughter Sidra. Sidra is marrying a dot.com millionaire and is working as a talk show host's assistant in NYC so she asks her mother to take care of the details. Then, Ron, the groom, and Thelma, his mother arrive on a huge rented yacht and take over, the dock, the wedding, everything they come in contact with. Sue feels pushed aside, and her husband Sid seems to really hate Ron. There is also a local controversy with the harbormaster. He is micromanaging every aspect of the town dock and is squeezing the local fishermen out in favor of the large yachts of summer people. Sidra and her horrible friends come into town for her bridal shower on the yacht, and Ron is found dead in the water. Sidra's ex boyfriend is accused and Lucy tries to find out what really happened.

This book was OK, but a little flat somehow. Lucy and Bill seem to have problems, but they are never really explained. Sue is not the same person as in the previous books. Lucy's children are pretty irritating and seem to figure too prominently in the story. I didn't figure out who did it, but the ending seems to have been just thrown on. I hope the next book brings the old Lucy back. I really love this series and the book is good, just not as good as her others.

Nestled on the rocky coast of Maine lies the town of Tinker's Cove, a world apart from Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon, yet boasting the same fine stock of strong men, comely women, and their gifted offspring. Lucy Stone (Turkey Day Murder, 2000, etc.) is the materfamilias of one such brood: Son Toby, home from Coburn University, is working on a research project with strapping young marine biologist Geoff Rumford while eldest daughter Elizabeth, struggling to earn money for her freshman year at Chamberlain College, slaves away at the Queen Victoria Inn under the watchful eye of Mrs. MacNaughton. (Junior Stones Sara and Zoe are restricted for the moment to precocious dinner-table observations.) Lucy earns the family's keep working at the local newspaper as husband Bill, a manfully unemployed carpenter, builds a gazebo so breathtaking that Lucy's best friend Sue Finch begs Lucy to allow her daughter Sidra to be married there. Lucy agrees, only to discover that Ron Davitz, Sidra's intended, is a homely boor with no fashion sense and that his pushy New York mother, Thelma, is angling to wrest control of the wedding from poor Sue. Fortunately, somebody conks Ron on his unattractive noggin and dumps him over the side of the family yacht. Unfortunately, Police Lieutenant Horowitz seems bent on actually arresting someone for the crime, so Lucy has to prove that nobody she cares about did it-no matter how good an idea it might have been. Meier's latest is perhaps her most repellent, with values toxic enough to annihilate this year's entire lobster catch.

I very much enjoyed Mistletoe Murder and Tippy Toe Murder, so happily settled down to read this mystery, armed with a free afternoon and a cup of coffee. That is the best way to read Ms Meier's books--a cozy afternoon and a cozy book.

By the time the bomb went off, somewhere around page 5, I had figured out who had set it and why. It seemed too obvious, so I checked the end of the book, and I was right. The hints (which I will not reveal, because it might not be obvious to some readers) were glaringly heavy-handed--not really hints at all.

I stopped reading, my cozy afternoon coming to a premature end. I am not usually particularly adept at guessing who did it, so this book must have been extraordinarily obvious.

The author is, however, at two successes to one failure, so I plan to keep reading.

Like the rest of the Lucy Stone series, this one is fine if you're looking for something ultra-light. But I can't warm to the character of Lucy Stone or any of the other characters, really. Something is lacking in character development, and Lucy Stone frankly comes off as rather unlikeable, with a husband who seems to be back in the 1950s. But for something easy and light, the series is fine, especially if you're a mom and enjoy something familiar.

As I said in an earlier review, summer afternoons are perfect for exploring the exploits of Tinker's Cove murder meddling sleuth Lucy Stone. So I decided to use my second of three books as an excuse to crash under the tree at the annual family burnt meat ritual. So while the pork steaks (a part of the pig known only to residents of Saint Louis) were slowly cooking on the grill I was quickly turning the pages of Leslie Meier's Back To School Murder.

The start of this adventure is a real blast - a high noon bomb blast at the grade school Lucy's daughter Sara attends. Luckily all the children escape injury including one who is rescued in the nick of time by assistant principal, Carol Crane. But within a couple of chapters she is rewarded for her heroism by being murdered. So, who done it? Was it Mr. Mopps, the school janitor, the high school science teacher, Lucy's night school English professor, or the sleazy minister? As usual Lucy is convinced the wrong person has been arrested for the murder and so she sets out to solve the crime herself.

Two complications to Lucy's solving the crime as well as being able to meet her husband's demands for having dinner on the table at six sharp each day have been added in this book. First, she has become a part-time working mother (at the Pennysaver weekly newspaper) and second she has returned to college. But we all know that this won't stop her from discovering the identity of the murderer at the end of this very enjoyable book. Only this time I was at least a chapter or several pages ahead of her sleuthing abilities.